- Kerr Building
The S. P. Kerr building is located on the corner of West Main Street and North Broadway in Winchester, Kentucky. It was built in 1889 to house Eclipse Mills. It covers 32,000
square feet .The Kerr Building originally housed 'Eclipse Mills,' but in later years it was home to J. J. Newberry Co. and The Corner Drug Store.
There is a statue of a rooster on the roof of the Kerr Building. It was placed there after two men made a bet during the 1932 presidential race about who would be elected president. One man declared that Herbert Hoover would remain president while the other claimed that Franklin Delano Roosevelt would become president. As part of the bet the first man said that if Roosevelt lost the election, he would have to push an orange down the streets of Winchester with his nose. The other stated that if Hoover lost he would get on top of the Kerr Building at noon, the day after the election and crow like a rooster. So when President Roosevelt won the election, the man who bet that he would lose, went to the top of the Kerr Building and crowed, like a rooster. So today a statue of a rooster was erected on the roof in his honor.
By 1999, the building was vacant and falling apart, partly because the building was built on top of a large water source. ["Preserve America Community," [http://www.preserveamerica.gov/4-20-04PAcommunity-winchesterKY.html "Winchester, Kentucky"] ] As a result of the deterioration, the Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation placed the Kerr Building on its "
11th Hour " Most Endangered list. In 2001, the building was purchased by Union Properties and Bailey Associates, who began refurbishing the building in August 2002, including repairing water damage, leaks in the roof, and worn storefronts. The renovations took more than three years (it was completed in December 2005) and cost more than 2 milliondollars .The building now houses around convert|18000|sqft|m2 of senior living space and convert|9000|sqft|m2 of commercial space. ["Historic Preservation Commission," [http://www.historicwinchester.com/index.php?page=76 "S. P. Kerr Building"] ]
References
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