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2015 Facelift Awards presented
Thursday May 21, 2015


The 2015 Facelift Award winners are: 




Piankeshaw Chapter DAR:
The Historic Joel Scribner House106 East Main Street
New Albany’s first frame structure, the Joel Scribner House, was built in 1814 for one of the three brothers who founded the town of New Albany in 1813. The Piankeshaw Chapter of the DAR purchased the home from Miss Hattie Scribner in 1917. This acquisition was one of the earliest preservation efforts in Indiana, at a time when procurement of buildings and sites associated with important persons or events in history, was the focus of historic preservation activities across the nation.
The present restoration of the north and west elevations of the Scribner House began in the Spring of 2014 with the replacement and repair of the sills. This lead to the removal of the exterior siding, along with the brick “nogging” located in between the studs. New siding was installed and painted, and through the awarding of an Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archeology grant, all 22 historic windows were restored and new shutters were installed on the front elevation. Outside the scope of the grant project, the six windows on the summer kitchen were restored with the addition of new storms. The Chapter has also recently received a $7,000.00 grant from the National DAR organization for the restoration of the roof, including installation of sawn cedar shingles. "Scribner Ladies," the residents of the City of New Albany are forever indebted to your organization for identifying the importance of this little house in 1917, and over the past 98 years, have continued to be excellent stewards of New Albany’s first home, the Historic Joel Scribner House.





Carter Management Company: Don, Ron & Bonnie Carter
The Historic Frank A. Kraft Buildings152-154 East Main Street
These frame buildings, probably the oldest commercial structures in New Albany, were constructed in 1834. The Carters purchased them in June 2014 and had the city condemn the rear of the building, which had already collapsed, so they could remove it and start reconstruction immediately.
A complete rehabilitation of the building was begun that would eventually include two commercial spaces at the street level and three luxury apartments above. The extensive work included: a new roof; rebuilt cornice with replicated decorative brackets; new siding with a color scheme that differentiates the two separate buildings; appropriate replacement windows and hoods; historically accurate new paneled, wooden storefronts; and restored the stone columns in 'The Underground.' Some interior elements that were saved included: partial flooring and the exposure of the post and beam structure in the apartments. Thank you to the Carters for taking a dilapidated building and developing it into a showplace on this up-and-coming block of East Main Street in Historic Downtown New Albany.





Stacey and Jeff Freibert
The Rowe-Fawcett Addition to the Historic Woodward Hall
207 West First Street
Built in 1922 as a warehouse and loading facility for the wholesale grocery concern of Rowe-Fawcett Co., Stacey Freibert and husband Jeff purchased the entire corner containing the addition along with Woodward Hall in January 2014.
They immediately brought in New Albany contractor Steve Resch to build out the property into a grocery store and deli. As has become a staple for Steve, he repurposed materials from other New Albany buildings in the construction of Seeds and Greens.
Exterior improvements included the construction of a period-appropriate storefront that was once, the three garage door openings to the warehouse. Southern style shutters were installed over all of the upper windows, a four-color paint scheme was used to differentiate it from the Woodward Hall building and gooseneck lighting was added above the historically-appropriate sign board to finish the exterior work. Seeds and Greens opened in October 2014. Thank you Stacey and Jeff for bring a totally unique business-concept to our historic downtown, as well as renovating a non-descript structure into the jewel we see today at 207 West 1st Street!





Chalfant Industries, Inc.: Matt & Tonya Chalfant  
The Mutual Trust Bank Building
320 Pearl Street
Incorporating two original buildings, Mutual Trust and Deposit Company modernized the original two facades into one modern, smooth-finished limestone front in 1951. In 1977, yet another modernization took place with the addition of the flat, red brick façade, void of any upper floor windows. With bank mergers through the years, the structure’s last occupant was the National City Bank. After sitting vacant for several years, Matt and Tonya saw a vision for the building that no one else could imagine. They purchased it, along with the adjoining historic Hieb Building, in the summer of 2014 and began a complete rehabilitation of the structure.
The interior of the first floor was remodeled into an up-scale dining and bar area   for the ever-popular, Habana Blues Restaurant, which opened just last month in the new space. The second floor is being transformed into five, luxury apartment units and will be ready for occupancy within a few months. Having never seen the light of day for over 60 years, seven second-story window openings were cut into to the façade and historically-appropriate windows, along with window hoods and trim were installed. A bracketed cornice was replicated and a period-appropriate awning was installed almost the entire length of the building, which in part, shelters the outdoor dining area. This was all topped off with gooseneck lighting that illuminates the new, raised-letter sign for Habana Blues! Thank you for your continued commitment to the preservation efforts in New Albany. With the completion of this building, along with two other downtown projects soon to be completed, the future of our historic city continues to head in the right direction.





Compass Project Management: Lincoln & Loren Ogden
The Historic Louis Goodbub Building109 East Market Street
The Ogdens purchased the historic, 1875, Louis Goodbub Grocery Building, affectionately known as the Globe store, in 2013. Along with other business partners, their plan was to bring one of the most popular ice cream establishments in the Louisville metro area to our historic downtown – Comfy Cow, which opened in May 2014.
Interior work began from the basement, all of the way up to the second floor, with the main level becoming a replicated ice cream parlor with original pressed-metal ceiling, wainscoting and hardwood floors. Lincoln’s company, Compass Project Management, is now located on the second level.
Exterior work included: A new roof, restored upper floor windows, rehabilitated storefront, new paint, gooseneck lighting and the iconic, Comfy Cow corner sign. The covered, rear, outdoor seating area is a definite hit during the warm summer months!  As with the Freiberts and Seeds and Greens, two goals were accomplished with this project: a restored building and offering a quality product. Loren and Lincoln, all of the ice cream lovers in New Albany and surrounding communities thank you for bringing such a popular venue to our growing downtown.





Heather Brown and Cliff Duff:
The Historic Neat-Hoffer House1010 East Elm Street
Built in 1885 for Addis and Sophia Neat, this home fell into grave disrepair, and was even targeted for demolition. It was finally rescued by Cliff Duff in March 2013.
The interior was completely rehabilitated by Duff and his son, Taylor, using original material when possible.
The exterior work included a new roof, the addition of half-round gutters and downspouts, restoration of the original windows and doors, scraping and repairing the original clapboard siding and replicating the non-existent front porch that had been missing for several years.  A new, four-color paint scheme now highlights the architectural detailing of this charming, gable-and-wing plan cottage.
Just recently, the home was purchased in November 2014 by Heather Brown, an educator at the Community Montessori School in New Albany.
Fantastic work Cliff, and thank you for taking this once neglected property and turning it into an award-winning project. Your investment in the Midtown neighborhood is a positive sign that young adults like Heather can enjoy urban living in close proximity to our thriving downtown. It is truly a great time to be living in New Albany!





Ann Baumgartle and Randy Smith:
The Historic Herbert & Edith Bryant House2229 East Elm Street 
Built about 1930, the Herbert & Edith Bryant House had been covered with inappropriate aluminum siding and stripped of it architecturally-significant knee brackets and corner boards by a previous owner. Present owner, Ann Baumgartle purchased the home in 1991, but it wasn’t until the storm of April 20, 2011, when several pieces of aluminum were ripped off the house, that the idea of removing the siding was realized. After viewing the exposed, original clapboards and determining that they “looked pretty good,” the decision was made to restore the exterior of the home to its former appearance.
After the siding was removed, the huge chore was to begin the prepping process, and also have the missing architectural elements recreated. Faced with this daunting task, Ann found John Sims, a painter and carpenter who was sympathetic to historic homes and original fabric. So, after scraping (no power washing), painting using a four-color paint scheme, and the previously-mentioned carpentry work, Ann took over the final “leg” of the project by restoring and painting the original windows.
The finished product is a stunning contribution to the National Register eligible, Historic Silver Grove Neighborhood, and will hopefully be an inspiration to other residents in the area. Wonderful job Ann and Randy!





St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities: Mark Casper
The Historic Holy Trinity Rectory702 East Market Street
This rectory building, constructed around 1870, was spared from the fire, in December 1975, which destroyed the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Since that time, this building has been used by several different community agencies including the Downtown Neighborhood Council, later know as Interfaith Community Council, and the present, St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities.
Faced with the need for repair of the original windows, St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities, along with help from Indiana Landmarks, applied for, and received a grant from the Indiana Department of Historic Preservation and Archeology to restore or replace ALL 53 windows!
This not only included all of the window sash, but the jambs, sills, casings, exterior trim and the construction of wooden storm windows. In all, 51 windows were restored by River Cities Window Works of Louisville, with the need of only two new ones being manufactured.
The New Albany Historic Preservation Commission is very proud to give out this award to a very substantial project that not only received local attention, but state-wide recognition. In April 2015, the project received the 'Outstanding Grant-Assisted Rehabilitation Award' from the state Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. The division presents these awards annually to recognize outstanding efforts in historic preservation and archaeology across the state. Below, members of the St. Elizabeth's team, along with Mayor Jeff Gahan, Tom and Holli Nance of River Cities Window Works, and project architect Ron Stiller, receive the state award.


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