As each piece of the faded green aluminum was slid off and each board was pried away from the wooden frame — revealing almost-pristine brown and red bricks accented by limestone insets — it was literally like peeling back layers of history.

Motorists driving along Main and Fourth streets in Niles have probably seen that the 1925-built Leader Publications building looks different than it has in more than 60 years.

The chocolate brick that much of downtowns like Niles was built with is now on display for everyone to see. I can only imagine what the street must have looked like in the roaring ‘20s, with full storefronts and Model A Fords parked out front.

It was around 1954 when Francis J. Plym, the owner of both the Niles Daily Star and the founder of metal manufacturer Kawneer, installed his patented covering on the second story. The encasement did its job outstandingly well for many years, providing a then-modern look and protecting our building and many others along Main Street.

Now it is time to return to our roots, so to speak.

The crew from Michiana Masonry, local contractors from right here in Buchanan, have put their expertise to work on this project helping bring the building closer to its original look. They are currently cleaning and repairing the Sycamore Street side of the building. With the assistance of architect Jim Furkis, this project is coming along well and we are excited to share the progress with the community in coming days and weeks.

Once the Fourth and Sycamore streets sides of the building have been restored we will turn the focus toward the south side of the building that faces Main Street. One day it will be a fitting welcome to downtown Niles.

I’ve said many times in my two years here that one of my top priorities is making our newspaper a leader in more than just name only. One key part of that is being a good corporate citizen and restoring our building to be a shining tenant of downtown Niles.

Urban renewal and other initiatives have cost many communities key parts of their history and only now are we realizing that preservation is more beneficial than demolition. Our communities need to celebrate the unique architecture featured on Main Streets across the country.

We have a long way to go with our building, but we are headed the right direction. Will it ever look exactly as it did all those years ago when Mr. Plym built it to be the Star’s printing plant and rental space? Of course not. The storefronts were too significantly altered in the 1960s and later to what you see today.

Still, we can recapture some of the past and showcase it for future generations to see.

 

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.