Gish Building Update (HOPE VI project)



Only known historic picture of the Gish Building




Last week was a very exciting time for me and some our volunteers who are interested in historic preservation.  The property located at 317 S. Main is in the final stages of approval of historic tax credit applications.  However, there was one part of the application that concerned the property owner.  It was our understanding that all of the historic windows in the property would need to be restored.  In this particular building, there are many windows on the back-end of the property which increased the project budget greatly.  Because of the condition of many of these windows, the property owner invited the representative from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to come look at the building and talk about alternatives. 



Current picture



            Kristin, in the SHPO office, promptly planned a visit to El Dorado.  With the property owner, architect, and building contractor all present, Kristin went around the building and listened to the concerns that the group had about the project.  Through a series of conversations, many of the alternative requests were approved by Kristin.  I was very pleased to see how easy she was to work with and listen to the group.  Not only did the meeting go well, it was also determined that construction will be starting very soon. 

Upper windows in rear of building

            As we are learning and “getting our feet wet” on these historic preservation and tax credit projects, it is so encouraging to know that we have friends at the SHPO office in Topeka who want to work with the property owners to allow these projects to be completed.  While they will not allow any of the historic integrity of the building to be harmed, they are aware of alternatives so that the property owner can also achieve their goals. 

Upper floor windows on North Side of building

            An update on the historic district designation: our nomination is sitting in Topeka waiting to be reviewed.  While we are in a procedural holding pattern, we are able to move forward with additional applications for tax credits on our historic buildings.  All of the attention that this historic district process has attracted has also brought several property owners forward who want to make improvements to their buildings.  El Dorado Main Street staff and volunteers are here to help those property owners be successful.