ARCHITECTURE OVERVIEW

The Architecture section analyzes the built environment of historic downtown Frankfort and offers suggestions for restoring vibrancy to the buildings, while preparing them for future uses. The area surrounding the Clinton County Courthouse encompasses the heart of the historic downtown. These buildings represent the commercial past of Frankfort and offer potential for future vitality.

The Frankfort community already has many resources to facilitate the restoration of downtown. Recognition of the importance of the historic buildings began with listing the Frankfort Commercial Historic District on the National Register in 1998. The city’s historic residential districts are also listed on the National Register: The Christian Ridge Historic District east of Prairie Creek and the South Frankfort Historic District south of downtown and west of Prairie Creek. The city has a historic district ordinance in place to protect the existing character of downtown and make provisions for new development.

The sections that follow begin with a listing of preservation related organizations and the roles they play within the community. Next, Block Descriptions provide an analysis of the historic character of buildings along the Courthouse Square. The Proposed Improvements section contains recommendations for Design Guidelines revisions and a checklist for Historic Structure Maintenance.

BUILDINGS: EXISTING CONDITIONS

The Downtown Revitalization study area falls within the Frankfort Commercial Historic District. Preserving these buildings offers a tangible link to Frankfort’s past and provides the context for future development. The following Best Practices, adapted and paraphrased from the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, offer general guidance for preservation and restoration. (For the complete Standards see: http://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/rehabilitation.htm.)

Preservation Best Practices

1. Use a property for its historic purpose or place it into a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.

2. Retain and preserve the historic character of a property, with emphasis on the historic materials, features and spaces that characterize a property.

3. Recognize each property as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Therefore, avoid changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings.

4. Most properties change over time; retain and preserve those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right. Historic significance is generally considered to be 50 years old or older.

5. Preserve distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic building.

6. Repair rather than replace deteriorated historic features. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement, match the new feature to the old in design, color, texture and other visual qualities and where possible, materials. Substantiate the replacement of missing features by documentary, physical or pictorial evidence.

7. Fabricate new additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction in a way to retain the historic materials that characterize the property. Differentiate the new work from the old and make it compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.

BUILDINGS: EXISTING CONDITIONS

Organizations Review

Preservation of a downtown begins with active participants in the community. Frankfort has a number of organizations in place to support the mission to preserve, maintain and revitalize the historic downtown. These organizations are summarized below, detailing their contribution to the preservation of the district.

Frankfort Main Street, Inc. is the nationally accredited Main Street program for the city. Frankfort Main Street supports preservation of the downtown through its focus on the National Main Street’s design approach. The Main Street group administered the 2012 RECAP Grant Project which facilitated a total of $200,000 invested in downtown facades. The group is active in many other projects in the downtown.

The City of Frankfort has embraced the preservation of the historic buildings through the adoption of a Local Historic District and creation of the Historic Review Commission. These ordinances serve the community by promoting positive growth and development, maintaining the uniqueness of historic residential neighborhoods, enhancing property values, attracting new residents, and encouraging tourism to the traditional downtown.

The Frankfort Redevelopment Commission has created the Façade Improvement Matching Grant Program to assist in the enhancement of the downtown buildings. Grants may be awarded to property owners or tenants with a 50% match on eligible expenses.

The Frankfort Future Leaders Advisory Council offers high school students a voice in the Frankfort community. Mayor McBarnes formed the council to teach leadership skills and give the students a real community project to plan and carry-out.

BUILDINGS: EXISTING CONDITIONS

Washington Street

Located on the north side of the courthouse square, Washington Street serves as a primary east/west thoroughfare through the heart of the city. Over half of the block retains much of its historic integrity. Sanborn Map research suggests a block character, particularly at the east end of the block, which is much unchanged from what existed from the early 1900’s.

The north block is bookended by two prominent buildings, one marking the late nineteenth century and the other representing the latter part of the twentieth century. The Regions Bank building was remodeled in the 1980’s, while the Harker Building (Heather’s Flowers) was constructed c. 1890.

BUILDINGS: EXISTING CONDITIONS

The Regions Bank building (2 E. Washington Street) is stylistically representative of its period of significant remodel. The massive brick building maintains the massing and setbacks of the underlying historic buildings; however, the façade changes in the 1980s are generally foreign in the arrangement and size of windows, and lack of detail and traditional storefronts.

Arni’s Restaurant (12 E. Washington Street) is located in a building constructed c. 1890. While the storefront has been altered, the general character of the original building remains including the ornamental balconette at the second floor windows. The block is divided by a north/south alley between 12 and 52 E. Washington Street. The former Frankfort Crescent Newspaper Office (52 E. Washington Street) was constructed c. 1890 and retains its upper story window proportions and stepped brick cornice, while the storefront cornice appears to have been removed probably at the same time as the storefront remodel. The adjacent commercial building at 54 E. Washington Street (Athletic Annex) was also constructed slightly earlier (c. 1880s) and maintains its ornamental metal cornice and detailed brick masonry work. The second floor windows have been replaced while respecting the original openings. The more recent remodel of the storefront has eliminated any evidence of the original storefront configuration.

The Meifeld Building (56-62 E. Washington Street) is classified as notable in the Clinton County Interim Report. The building is unique to the square, having been designed in the Chicago style c. 1910. The Harker Building (64 E. Washington Street) was designed in the Richardson Romanesque style c. 1890 and retains beautiful rusticated limestone detailing and rounded corner turret. Evidence of the original openings remains with a slight recess in the later installed flush limestone and recently installed replacement windows. While the storefront materials have been replaced with a newer aluminum storefront, the original proportions remain. Even what appears to be the marble kickplate has been preserved.

East of the courthouse square, Washington Street provides much opportunity for its relationship to Prairie Creek and vacant land used for public activities. The Ross Building (208 E. Washington Street) provides a strong anchor at the northeast corner of the intersection of Washington and Jackson Streets. Built in 1897, the large two-story building retains its decorative brick and rusticated limestone masonry features. Second floor windows have been infilled with wood shutters, however local grant funding has been awarded for replacement windows, reintroducing natural light to the upper floor and a potential second floor new use. The ground floor storefronts have been altered with some evidence of the original bays. Reinstallation of the storefront transoms and larger display windows would provide additional natural light into the first floor and would introduce a greater relationship to the pedestrian. Immediately adjacent, a two story brick building was demolished, expanding the vacant parcel adjacent to the creek.