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Built in 1893, the
historic Weille Building, in downtown Paducah, begged for restoration
or, more appropriately, demolition. Years of neglect left gaping holes
in the roof and walls. Accumulated debris from former owners littered
each floor. A roost of pigeons had taken over the third floor.
"The site
was an overwhelming mess," Sarah
Roush admitted. "There
was no electricity or water, floors were out, the elevators didn't work,
the roof leaked.”
Contractors
and other professionals proclaimed the building unsalvageable. "Everyone
looked at the place and said, 'no way' adding it would cost over a half
million dollars to renovate," Sarah recalled. "I was turned
down by the local Mainstreet association for a construction loan and
went head-to-head with the city architect over a colorful paint scheme
for the building's facade.”
To buy the
building and finance the project on her own, Sarah borrowed against
her life insurance policy and took a second mortgage on her home. "There
were days I had buyer's remorse,” she confessed, “often feeling overwhelmed
and powerless. Sometimes I was so depressed I would just roam around
from floor to floor taking photos.”
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It was during this
time Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer. After surgery, she remembers
laying in the hospital bed feeling doomed. Like the Weille building,
she seemed to be crumbling. Once back on her feet, however, she continued
to work tirelessly.
Eighty-four
dump truck loads of waste and an archaic boiler were removed. A crane
was needed to extract several useless nine-hundred-pound air conditioning
units. The third floor, finally cleared of feathered creatures, was converted
into a makeshift studio for Sarah.
The work did not stop with indoor renovation.
Sarah wanted to create a unique patchwork of tiles on the building front
outdoors, similar to a design she had used on her buildings on South
Second Street.
With the help of Pat Powell, Vice President
of Marketing and Sales for Old Hickory Clay Company in Hickory, Kentucky,
and Old Hickory’s ceramic engineers, the clay formula and glaze recipe
were adjusted to better withstand the rigors of rapidly changing weather
conditions in Western Kentucky. The distinctive result makes the Weille
a landmark in downtown Paducah.
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The Weille project
– encompassing 14,000 square feet -- took two years. With care and attention,
it should last another hundred years, thanks to Sarah Roush. The artist-turned-businesswoman
tackled the seemingly impossible. With vision, determination and perseverance,
she made her dream a reality.
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