For the People(s): Lexington’s mid-century monument poised to become a cultural hub

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On Nov. 14, more than 100 people gathered for the closing reception of Peoples Portal, an art event in the vacant South Broadway building that was once home to the Peoples Federal bank. Against a sunset backdrop through 16-foot windows, guests enjoyed an art installation, a reading by poet Frank X Walker, elegant food and drinks, and an all-vinyl DJ set of midcentury jazz and exotica. Curated by University of Kentucky Art Museum director Stuart Horodner, the pop-exhibit was designed to raise money and awareness for the Warwick Foundation, a nonprofit group working to preserve and relocate the striking modernist building before a 12-theater entertainment complex opens next year.

Horodner, along with The Warwick Foundation, Langley Properties, and a group of private donors and preservationists who organized the event, saw it as an opportunity to utilize and call attention to the magnificent and overlooked urban space. As Horodner explained to writer Ashlie Stevens for the art blog Hyperallergic.com, “When I walked through the space a few months ago, I was struck by the state of glorious decay and formal elegance – the blue, glazed brick on the outside and angular concrete ceiling inside, the rooms with peeling paint, and sunlight streaming through the windows. It seemed like a perfect ready-made gallery for works that engage issues of architecture, history, time, and transformation. And the idea of a bank – where transactions happen, and emotional and financial resources are protected – quickly brought artists to mind.”

With its distinctive exterior and sawtooth roof, the building was designed by Lexington architect Charles Bayless and finished in 1962. Not only one of the few remaining modernist commercial buildings in Lexington, it is thought by many to be one of the finest in the country. Katherine Wisniewski of the interior design blog Curbed.com wrote that Bayless, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, “is thought to be the first architect to introduce a pre-cast folded-plate roofing system to Lexington, Kentucky.”

Despite standing vacant for over 20 years, the structure is still a sight to behold and is considered a treasure among many local architecture enthusiasts. But this past March, its future was called into question when plans were announced for the Krikorian Premiere Theatre, a 90,000-square-foot entertainment complex set to open in summer 2016. Developer and owner Langley Properties plans to build a parking lot entrance off High Street, making it impossible for the Peoples Bank to remain on its current site.

When the news reached local resident and architectural enthusiast Lucy Jones in late April, she took immediate action.

“When I learned that a theater complex was planned for that block, my initial reaction was, ‘What happens to the Peoples Bank?’” she said.

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Fortunately, others were asking the same question. David O’Neill, Lexington’s property valuation administrator and a champion of the building, had begun researching alternatives to demolition and quickly ascertained that the only realistic option was relocation. He was in the process of assembling bids when Jones got a text from a friend saying that demolition equipment was stationed outside the bank. She immediately called O’Neill for help.

“David said that our only hope was to prove that we could raise the funds to physically move it,” she said. “He contacted Mayor [Jim] Gray, and in the meantime, I began calling everyone I knew in hopes of creating a community investment team.”

One of those calls was to Warwick Foundation chair Laurel Catto, who made a proposal: What if the foundation took on the building as a nonprofit space?

“It was a brilliant solution,” said Jones. “Not only would the building be saved, but it would have a second life in service to the community.”

The Warwick Foundation’s mission is to uphold the legacy of Lexington writer, preservationist and architectural historian Clay Lancaster, who died in 2000. The foundation maintains Lancaster’s compound near Salvisa, Kentucky, and had been looking to develop a presence in Lexington. Under its current plan, the former bank will be moved a short distance to West High Street, at the far end of the Rupp Arena parking lot, and will become a cultural hub known as The Peoples Portal. According to Catto, the space will become “a living monument to Lexington’s commitment to the Compassionate Cities movement,” with Warwick leading Lexington in becoming part of the Charter for Compassion, a worldwide organization that works to create compassionate culture through various educational and arts-based initiatives.

A truly modern grassroots campaign, Peoples Portal really gained legs on social media. Jones posted a photo of the bank on Facebook, describing its predicament and her hopes that it could be saved. “It got more likes than anything I’ve ever posted,” she said. That initial plea ignited a race to save the bank from demolition. Langley Properties pledged to donate the building if the necessary $850,000 could be raised. And through the support of hardworking individuals, volunteers and donors, that goal became a reality.

With funding secured, the finer points of the move are now under discussion. The project involves excavation of a concrete slab under the former site, hoisting the building up on steel beams, and inserting those beams into a new foundation. Fundraising is still ongoing for new heating, cooling, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as furnishings, equipment and restoration work, and a ground lease contract with the property owner, Lexington Center Corporation, is in progress. According to Catto, the timeline should be solidified by end of January, with the move taking place in mid 2016.

For Jones and many of the individuals who have worked hard to rescue and transform the former Peoples Bank, buildings aren’t only landmarks; they are physical reminders of American culture and history. She recalled, “When I was a child, there was a former gas station on the corner of Main and Midland. It had tremendous character but had been empty for years. Driving by, my mom often said, ‘I worry that they’re going to tear that little building down.’ Sure enough, one day we drove by and it was gone. It was an immediate and painful lesson in how quickly architectural heritage can be lost.” ss

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