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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2018)
Wallowa County Chieftain News wallowa.com September 19, 2018 A5 PEELING THE ONION Litch building restoration moving forward Developer finds treasures in Enterprise structure By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain A good bit of structural work remains to be done in the Litch Building on the corner of River and Main in Enterprise, but developer Andy McKee of McKee Brothers Investments says it’s like a treasure hunt inside the building. “We’re not just slapping a coat of paint on this stuff,” he said. “We are starting from scratch and trying to restore history that was basically cov- ered up for 80 years.” Starting from scratch included removing what has been layered onto the orig- inal building. In tearing out lathe and plaster, huge dou- ble doors, arches and windows have been revealed. Bowlby stone with hand-chisel marks from the early 1900s have been uncovered. Stained glass windows, rare textured glass windows made with chicken wire embedded in it, an ancient freight elevator and a steel header that runs the full length of the front of the building are other revelations. That elevator is mystifying workers. That massive length of steel was transported to Enterprise before the railroad was available. How did build- ers do that? Even the alley out back is the “coolest side of the build- ing,” McKee said. A group of city council members and a few fans of McKee’s work gathered in late August to hear about his prog- ress and vision. “My vision is to restore it back to its original flavor,” he said. “I think it would be best for Enterprise to have the facade historically correct. This is not easy to do.” Restoration includes find- ing giant 850-pound win- dow frames, which must be restored out of old-growth fir, finding matching glass or having artisans recreate glass that is no longer available commercially. Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain Andy McKee explains his ambitious vision for the historic Litch Building during a walk-through tour taken by Enterprise City Council, Aug. 21. An example of the aged wir- ing McKee’s crew had to completely tear out and re- place in the Litch Building. RECOGNIZING THE RICHES OF ENTERPRISE Courtesy photo The Litch Building on Main and River Street in Enterprise. “Just to salvage this floor alone, in what used to be Sugar Time Bakery, we had three weeks of manpower in here: it was Pergo over old linoleum panels that were asphalted on,” McKee said. McKee is also balancing his intent to create the new spaces inside as modern and energy efficient as possible keeping in mind what will rent. “There’s a reason why rental turnover is so high here, and that’s because nobody has figured out the right recipe,” he said. “That’s really what we’re trying to do — figure out the right recipe.” That means experimenta- tion and a bit of risk-taking. “We don’t necessarily know what will work. This is kind of an evolving process,” McKee said. “My biggest hur- dle and struggle is there are only a limited amount of peo- ple in the county who want to go into business — most of those people have their own businesses. With 80 percent of Main Street in Enterprise vacant, how do we get people to say ‘hey, I want to take my business to Enterprise.’” Putting the “we” in down- town revitalization is crucial to its success, McKee says, noting the work of other revi- talization entrepreneurs on Main Street: Michael and Jody Berry, Darrell Brann and Bill Warnock and Michelle Starr. But support also needs to come from all of the existing down- town businesses. To that end McKee would like to see a “why not Enter- prise” movement. “If I don’t have the com- munity support, I’d rather go somewhere else,” he said. “I hashtag all our (commu- nications) with ‘why not Enterprise?’” More help may be com- ing in the form of grants. His- torical tours of Enterprise are being scheduled with grantors who have already expressed an interest in the restoration and revitalization of not only the The corner section of the Litch Building was built in the 1880s as a saloon and was partially destroyed by fire in 1901. A single story was rebuilt by W.K. Funk and Sons. Sam Litch bought the building and added a second story 1901-10, the same period in which his architect, Calvin R. Thorton, also built the Wallowa County Courthouse. Thorton actually died as a result of a construction accident during the Litch Building project, McKee said. McKee’s plans for the building remain mostly the same as when he first undertook the restoration: eight apartments and three temporary rental Litch Building but the entire Main Street. Representatives from the State Historic Preservation Association have visited McKee before and will visit again soon. “When I bought this (Litch) building, the pres- ervation coordinator for the COME ON DOWN units upstairs, remodeled retail spaces in the 10,000 square feet below. There may be more short-term rental units in the Litch building because McKee’s early experience turning a luxury apartment in the Burnaugh Building into short-term has been extraordinarily successful. “People are like, ‘Oh man, I had no idea Enterprise was so cool,’” McKee said. “I think having people stay here in something cool and historic is going to benefit Enterprise.” McKee is also completing construction of new micro-offices in the Burnaugh Building that rent for $300 to $400 monthly with all services included. whole state called me and said ‘please save that build- ing’ because it has been on the radar for a long time,” McKee said. Community support is essential to obtaining the grants. McKee’s work on the exte- rior of the building has been stalled recently as he works his way through a State His- toric Preservation Association facade grant and family busi- ness — he has recently moved his 80-year-old mother to the county. “This building is my Ever- est,” McKee said. BOGGAN’S OASIS • Lodging! Grand • Fishing! Re-Opening • Dining! Sept. 22nd & 23rd • Shakes! • FUN! 61376 WA-129, Anatone, WA 99401 (509) 256-3372 Joan Gilbert 2018 FREE PRESENTATION SERIES! Wed, Sept 26 • 7pm Atmospheric Cycles and the Impact of Life on Earth Karen Antell, PhD Professor of Biology Eastern Oregon University Thurs, Oct 25 • 7pm Flowing Water in a Frozen Land: Understanding Climate Change Impacts in Arctic Alaska Caitlin Rushlow, PhD Geological Sciences Idaho State University Thurs, Oct 4 • 7pm Defrosting America’s Icebox: Myths and Realities from the Frontlines of Changing Climate in Alaska Randi Jandt, MS Fire Ecologist Alaska Fire Consortium Thank you to the following businesses for supporting Newspapers in Education Their generous support of the Wallowa County Chieftain NIE program helps provide copies of the newspaper and unlimited access to Wallowa.com and the e-Edition to schools throughout the community. Jr. Jason Follett, DMD 541-426-3531 WallowaValleyDental.com Thurs, Nov 15 • 7pm Hottest Spots on Earth: Monitoring Temperature Extremes by Satellite David Mildrexler, PhD Systems Ecologist Wallowology 204 Residence St. Enterprise, OR 306 W. North St. Enterprise, OR 541-426-7455 OliveBranchFamily.com 541-426-4502 WindingWaters.org 541-426-2700 Heidi’s Gift Shoppe 59974 Mt. Howard Rd., Joseph, OR 541-432-0830 HeidisGiftShoppe.com 603 Medical Parkway Enterprise, OR 97828 205 W. Main St. 541-426-3124 Enterprise, OR 97828 UmpquaBank.com 1200 Highland Ave. Enterprise, OR 97828 EaglesViewInnAndSuites.com For more information on the NIE Program, visit Wallowa.com/nie. To make a donation, call 541-426-4567. Natural History Discovery Center 508 N. Main • Joseph • 541-263-1663 • wallowology.org