Old Route 66 motel seeks to become Albuquerque’s next historic landmark
From KRQE: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – What does it take to become an Albuquerque historical landmark? There’s only a handful of them, and now, a Route 66 motel is being considered for the shortlist. But, it doesn’t exactly appear to be a classic.
They’re passed by without much thought by thousands of people a day. In Albuquerque, there are only about 20 of these intentionally preserved windows into the city’s history.
“The Landmark Commission was established in 1977, and they look at historical designations throughout the city,” Carmelina Hart with the city’s Planning Department said.
Historic downtown theaters in South Bend, Goshen and Niles face very different futures
Everett Thomas talks about improvements that are coming to the historic Goshen Theater. Organizers believe the theater will provide an additional boost to the thriving downtown area. Tribune Photo/MICHAEL CATERINA
From the South Bend Tribune: The preservation of historic theaters in Goshen and Niles seems to be secure with restorations planned or already underway.
But the fate of the prominent State Theater in downtown South Bend is still up in the air with no immediate plans for restoration and an Israeli-based owner who wants to get rid of the mostly vacant building.
Those representing the nonprofit Goshen Theater association recently announced they’re ready to proceed in May with the restoration of the historic building at 216 S. Main St. with the first phase of the work targeting the lobby, ballroom, restrooms and infrastructure needs.
Historic Strip of Belltown, Including Neon Boots and Lava Lounge, Is Back on the Chopping Block
The Wayne Apartments pictured behind the neighborhood’s strip of bars on Thursday night. LESTER BLACK
From theStranger: A strip of beloved businesses and one of the oldest buildings in Belltown might be demolished and replaced by an eight story apartment building, according to the Daily Journal of Commerce. A development company has a plan to demolish Neon Boots, Rocco’s, Lava Lounge, and Tula’s, along with the historic Wayne Apartments at 2224 Second Ave., the journal reported on Wednesday.
This comes four years after a different developer tried to demolish the Wayne Apartments until the city moved to give that building landmark status in 2015. The Wayne Apartments were built in 1890 before the now extinct Denny Hill was regraded. It is now one of the only buildings still standing from that era.
Heart Bombing brings attention to downtown Muncie historical buildings
Heart Bombers decorated the former Wilmore Apartments at 424 W. Main Street on Saturday, Feb. 10 in downtown Muncie. The goal of Heart Bombing is to decorate historical buildings in the area to bring attention to its significance. Evan Weaver, DN
From the Daily News: Heart-shaped signs were made and hearts were open as three different organizations walked through downtown Muncie to raise awareness for historic buildings.
Members from the Delaware County Historical Society, Preserve Greater Indy and Associated Students for Historic Preservation “heart-bombed” several abandoned and historic Muncie buildings on Saturday.
Heart Bombing, as described on its Facebook event page, is sending “love letters to historic places, local landmarks, and places both safe and threatened that are important to our communities.”
Derek Tulowitzki, president of Associated Students for Historic Preservation and a board member for the Delaware County Historical Society, said the event is a way to show appreciation for the historical value for the buildings.
From a secret history to a tourist attraction
Newtown community leaders participate in a groundbreaking. The neighborhood was built when residents were moved north from Overtown, where the Rosemary District is now. PHOTO COURTESY OF SARASOTA HISTORY CENTER
From the Herald-Tribune: For many retirees new to Sarasota, local history is high on the list of topics to explore — from landmarks like The Ringling and Historic Spanish Point to written chronicles of the real estate fortunes made and lost here.
But in recent years, just in time for a fresh and more diverse generation of settlers and visitors, this region’s African-American history has been made more broadly accessible after decades of omission from the official record.
And the story of residents’ long pursuit of social justice stands poised to become a tourist attraction in its own right, largely thanks to the homegrown preservation alliance known as Newtown Alive.