Kerr Building facts for kids

The S. P. Kerr Building is a really old and important building in Winchester, Kentucky. You can find it on the corner of North Main Street and West Broadway. It's so special that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's officially recognized as a historic landmark.

This three-story brick building was built way back in 1889. It has cool stone details around the windows and a neat rounded entrance. The building is quite large, with about 32,000 square feet of space inside.

History of the Kerr Building

What Was Inside?

When it first opened, the Kerr Building was home to a business called Eclipse Mills. Over the years, other well-known stores moved in. You might have found a J. J. Newberry's store there, which was a popular chain. There was also The Corner Drug Store, a place where people could get medicines and other items.

Saving a Landmark

By 1999, the building was empty and starting to fall apart. It had a lot of damage and needed major repairs. Because of this, a group called the Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation put the Kerr Building on its "Most Endangered" list. This list highlights important buildings that are at risk of being lost.

In 2001, two companies, Union Properties and Bailey Associates, bought the building. They started a big project to fix it up in August 2002. They had to repair water damage, leaks in the roof, and the old storefronts. The renovations took more than three years to finish, finally wrapping up in December 2005. The whole project cost over $2 million!

What's There Now?

Today, the S. P. Kerr Building has a new purpose. About 18,000 square feet of the building is now used for senior living spaces. This means older adults can live there comfortably. The building also has about 9,000 square feet of commercial space, which can be used by businesses.

The Mystery of the Rooster

There's a fun story about a wooden rooster that sits on the roof of the building. People say it was placed there because of a bet! The bet was made about who would win the 1932 United States presidential election.

The original wooden rooster eventually disappeared. But don't worry, a new one was put in its place during the big renovation project in 2002. So, the rooster still watches over Winchester from the top of the S. P. Kerr Building!