North Manchester Community Celebrates Rebirth Of Historic Building
Posted
Staff Report-
NORTH?MANCHESTER – At 2:30 p.m. Monday, the Strauss Family, design-builder Michael Kinder & Sons, architect Design Collaborative and North Manchester community members gathered to celebrate the beginning of construction at the historic building on Main Street.
The Strauss family, represented now by a sixth generation, has undertaken a rebuild and renovation of the fire-torn and age-worn properties at 218-222 E. Main St., North Manchester. Underway is reconstruction specifically designed to accommodate a new and permanent home for the Community Foundation of Wabash County, according to a news release from Michael Kinder & Sons.
"This is going to be an amazing asset to the historic main street of North Manchester and a space for our 65-year-old Community Foundation of Wabash County," said Leah Strauss Grant, sixth-generation Strauss family member and renovation project manager. "Growing up and occasionally visiting the building, I remember walking the narrow halls, the weird maze of connected buildings and sitting in the small office spaces that had no natural light. The designed renovation for the space is going to offer the whole of the county warm, new-fashioned and professional meeting spaces."
"The Strauss Family building will be re-imagined after almost two years of detailed study, planning, and design. With an overall client statement of ‘doing it right’ for the community and for the legacy of this building," said Ron Dick, registered architect and principal at Design Collaborative, which has worked with the family to restore the luster of the structure.
The design of the exterior will be a blend of old and new. The south-facing brick facade will remain, as will the decorative cornice. New storefront windows will replace the old wood window framing systems, but the character of the existing structure will be maintained on the East Main Street side.
The dated canopy will be removed, and the south-facing windows will be opened up to bring the daylight into the space. A new street-side patio space will provide exterior seating along the street on the west side of the building. The west face of the building, which was formerly an interior wall prior to the demolition of the adjacent building, will be structurally reinforced, with additional windows and the wall covered with a modern decorative metal panel. The top of the building will be lined with an extension of the decorative cornice. Patio spaces will also be added to the back of the building, for the private use of the occupants.
The stated goal for the Community Foundation space is to provide a welcoming environment to serve as the hub for giving in the community. The space will be inviting and inclusive, pulling reminders of history and community landmarks into the space, according to the release.
"The Community Foundation gratefully acknowledges the Strauss Family's generosity in creating this center for the County and the Foundation. The Foundation's assets and work have expanded exponentially in the last several years. The additional meeting space and capacity will support our mission to serve the county well into the future. The county is blessed by many generous citizens who, like the Strausses, want to see our county grow and prosper," said Brian Howenstine, Community Foundation board president.
The second floor of the building will get new life with residential apartments. Four units will occupy this floor: two 2-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units, with light- filled rooms and modern conveniences, will make terrific homes on the historic Main Street. Large portions of the load-bearing walls that separated the three compartments of the original building will be opened up to provide a spacious feel to these apartments. The apartments will all feature LVT floors, in-suite laundry facilities, modern kitchens with solid surface counters, and stainless steel appliances. The fit and finish of these units will be high quality, the release states.
"The construction of the second-floor apartments is especially fitting," said Leah. "We think it's so important that our community can offer different styles and ways of living, be it single-family houses or apartments. My grandparents, Don and Billie Strauss, lived in one of the original units for the first two years of their marriage in 1949. In 2014 my sister, Emily, worked tirelessly to renovate one of the units. She created the type of space that she wanted for herself within the community that she loves. She lived there with classmates while attending Manchester University. It will be good to rebuild."
Generations of the family have cherished the property. In 1920, JW Strauss, (John Wesley) and Son first offered "Feed, Coal, and Ice" from his storefront at 220-222 E. Main St. Spanning over 130 years, the two-story, high-ceiled, commercial and residential facility housed the endeavors of multiple Strauss family members.
Arden Strauss returned from World War I to join JW, his father, in the growing agricultural feed business. His son, Donald Strauss, joined the firm in 1950. Don's eventual decision to franchise Purina products brought the ubiquitous red and white checkerboard logo that branded and made available in the Main Street store animal feeds from rabbit to horse to monkey, all while the principal and original enterprise – the mill, produced ever greater quantities of chicken feed.
Through the 1960s, Strauss Inc. integrated in scope to include production of layer hens and eggs, and the demand for chicken feed out-paced the scale of the rear-located elevator. Concurrently, the family enterprise was adding staff to support the emerging bovine feed enterprise, and in 1976, the operations and staff for the Strauss grain elevator, "the mill," relocated to CR 1100 North.
As the special-fed veal business expanded, the family purchased and linked the adjacent 218 E. Main St. as additional office space. In the early 1980s, the growth and new technologies in the calf feed business necessitated a new manufacturing facility for Strauss Veal Feeds and the Main Street properties were vacated. The family leased the properties to Gilbert Naragon Purdy, who over the next 22 years sublet to several organizations, including Grandstaff Rendering, the law offices of Tiede Metz and Downs, and Albert Schlitt, and Steve Hammer, attorneys, and Terrill & Company, CPA. In 2001, the Community Foundation of Wabash County occupied the west building and remained there until the 2016 fire.
"Our family is pleased to see a beloved piece of the town's history live on into a new century as could never have been imagined in 1875 when the Strausses first immigrated to the area. What began with ‘Feed, Coal and Ice’ hopefully will feed the community once again, this time with a home for nurturing the ideas that brighten our common future and the resources to bring them to life," said Sally Strauss Krouse.
