The new owners of a South Main Street commercial building that sold at auction Friday said they plan to peel back some layers that will expose many of the old building’s original details.
That will include removing the lowered ceilings on the first and second floors, said Fred Wilharm, who bought the 135-year-old building with his wife, Sharon.
They want to take the building back to its original tin ceilings and to the hardwood floors, if possible. The brick and cast iron facade also needs restoration work, they believe.
“This will be our third historic building,” said Fred.
Like the Hopkinsville property, the other two historic buildings they own are across the street from a county courthouse. One is in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and the other is in Springfield, Tennessee. Both of those buildings are occupied. The tenants include a diner, photo shop, print shop and a church.
The Wilharms are originally from Florida, where they ran an antique mall. In 2006, they moved to Middle Tennessee to pursue Christian filmmaking. Initially they lived in Franklin but later moved to Springfield, where they reside today in an old home.
Fred said he learned about the Hopkinsville property, which has been attorney Lester Benny Guier’s law office for more than 20 years, from a Facebook ad by the local auctioneer.
Their approach to restoration work is to highlight the original aesthetic.
“We try to preserve as much of the original beauty as possible,” said Sharon.
Fred said they will apply for a restoration grant through the city. They expect to start soon on the interior work.
The old colored-glass exterior sign, bearing the name of tailor J.K. Hooser above the front door, will be saved, they said. Hooser installed the sign in the 1910s, according to local newspaper archives.
The Wilharms said the property could be used as a retail shop, although a tenant might not need all of the space on the first floor.
The building has three stories. The third floor has limited space and probably is suitable only for storage, said Fred.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
