Being in the Right Place at the Right Time - Historic Building Tour

Here in my little town, like all little towns in the USA, we have a charming down town.  So charming in fact that it's played host to film companies portraying America's 'Down Town'.  Also, like other small town main streets, there are wonderful old buildings with their windows boarded up.  One particular building in my town, where I  bought my historic home in 1997, had had intermittent renovations, but had been empty for years.  The building had been just about every business imaginable, well, other than possibly being an Undertaker's Establishment. (Don't you Love This Sign?)

So imagine how excited I was I walked past this charming old building one day last month and happened to see the owner, whom I had met a couple of weeks before at the antique store where I work.  She asked the gentleman who is working on the renovation to show me around.  What an amazing opportunity.  To the right you see the old vault door.

This fireplace is really the centerpiece of the renovation. The contractor has built it from the remains of the front of a historic building in another small town that was torn down by order of that city. (Sadly) But what a happy result.  The stone slab mantle he has his hand on was the front step of this old building.  The corbels that support it were from the top of that building's facade.

The slate for the base of the fireplace was taken from an old pool table.  This man is a genius.  The tour was amazing, and showed his unusual skill at repurposing or reinventing items salvaged from other uses.  I just thought you would all enjoy seeing it.

Above are a few doors, that are either already in place or in the process of being placed.  The building is being renovated as a commercial  center for banquets and gatherings.  I can hardly wait until they can get it put together.  It is amazing, and I am so thrilled to see this happening in my town.