Are We Smiling?

It’s hard to overlook the gaping hole in the middle of the block. The business buildings line up like teeth in a smile, and the “front tooth” that the fire took out infects the whole town. We’re all anxious to see what, if anything, fixes the gap.

The same can be said for the “molar” on the north end of the same block. Although obviously the building still stands and the distinctive cupola retains its place as a local landmark, the property is an eyesore. Rather than inspire, it disappoints. It is a public display of “tooth decay,” so to speak.

This particular building is not the only vacant business building in town that’s showing distress, of course. But, arguably, it is the most prominent. It is a physical reminder that all is not well for business in Gallatin despite good things underway in our community.

After all, there’s a new fire station now being built. There’s a new middle school soon to be under construction. Dockery Park is in better shape overall than it has been in years, with the new gazebo as a recently added centerpiece. GoldKey Corporation revived the old exchange building on the southwest corner of the square and is working on the Trust Company building at the 4-way stop. Tim Tadlock’s State Farm Insurance has added the handsome new look of its office on the west side of the square. Street paving has improved significantly. And so on.

But as you approach the square coming up the hill from Highway 6, you see the cupola first and foremost – before you can see our stately county courthouse centerpiece. The cupola is unique both in location and in architecture. It decorates a once proud building rich in its history, once used as a post office and also as a bank. But nothing about this property instills pride anymore.

The cupola, in fact, appears dangerous – probably more than it actually is. There are windows in the cupola and throughout the building with glass panes missing. Wooden casements are rotting.

The neglect doesn’t even allow for a new coat of paint, much less replacing rotted wood trim or tuck pointing the brick.

We can drive by and just ignore the eyesore, or mutter something about how it’s just too bad that “Somebody or something….” Perhaps we should stop a moment to consider what visitors to our town see, what impression Gallatin gives to those driving by.

The cupola atop the Farmers Exchange Bank building as it looked in 1907.

Take a close look at this building – but don’t stand too close. There’s loose brick at the top of where the roof line gaps apart at the front. The capstone dating the building “1887” is long gone. A sandstone nameplate above the door on the first floor of the cupola is so weathered you can no longer read, “Farmers Exchange Bank.” If it’s windy, beware of flying glass. Several open windows confirm the weakness of window casings; other windows have already been boarded shut.

Inside you find evidence of past good intentions – but debris is everywhere. It would make a good lottery to correctly guess how many dumpsters it would take to completely empty the building. And that’s before tearing out the lathe and plaster.

But, you know, there’s just something about this building worth saving beyond its prominence and history. The floors are solid. The walls are square. Main entrance doors are street level without steps. Space is mostly free span, allowing near complete flexibility for remodeling.

With the property owners now planning to move away, this eyesore seems doomed to more slow, unavoidable decay. Some might choose to extract this molar (raze for what, more parking?). Obviously, this piece in Gallatin’s business district smile needs more than just a cleaning and polish.

The solid foundation for something good, maybe even very good, is there. Getting a new roof and fixing some exterior issues might be the bridgework leading to a healthier, useful future.

Usually, private property means such decisions are made privately. But for any small town, the stores that make up the business district define community spirit at least visually. Everyone feels better about Gallatin whenever a business owner makes an improvement, like the new overhang fronting Frost Automotive or the recent repairs completed by Elbert’s Department Store.

What happens when buildings are abandoned? What are the odds of some private business taking this eyesore forward? Well, reflect on how this building has changed since Hales Market ceased doing business there. Or consider the prospects of other vacant buildings around town. We’ve got serious “tooth decay” …and it’s nothing to smile about.

Perhaps you snort. Perhaps you think all this would be better left on a Santa wish list …with about that much reality involved. Unless some unknown business interest takes hold of the challenge, the building in question is a problem that’s been unfolding before our eyes for several years already. And, the eyesore is likely to get much worse. The challenge goes much deeper than just how our town looks.

It’s not easy thinking outside the box. It’s not easy to set traditional approaches aside, to look at today’s realities and what’s likely to come, and to wager on the future. It’s not easy to get a community full of different individuals with different ideas pulling together to work through the details to some acceptable conclusion.

But I guess I’m stubborn. Gallatin’s not dead yet despite today’s business climate stacked against small towns. Today we enjoy comparatively cheap gasoline prices ($2.39 a gallon). But, rest assured, this is a prelude to higher prices sure to come. Some day it may be that traveling to do business elsewhere is not so easy, helping small town business owners hold onto their interests and maybe even grow.

Meanwhile, we’re looking at the vacant building at 121-25 North Main. We can’t fix the world, but we can take care of a corner if we choose to. But we’ve got to do more than just shake our heads and remember yesteryear. Now is the time to focus.

We can paint a new welcome sign as you drive up the hill from the highway to the square. We can use Christmas decorations to camouflage this eyesore at least for a short time. But regardless of what we say or can point to elsewhere in town, the wreckage below the cupola is what most people will remember about Gallatin. There’s nothing worse than a smile that includes a few rotting teeth.

Our town pride is on display, any which way this unfolds. Some action should be taken concerning this building. If nothing is done, …well, what you see is what you get. Only more so.