The Greentown Grapevine – 2001-12, 08:12

              Volume 8, Issue 12 " a paper for the people ' I December 2001
St. Joseph Hospital to Increase
Services in Greentown
Respondents to a survey taken late
2000 indicated that residents of eastern
Howard County would like to see a
pharmacy in Greentown. The town has
been without one since Hutto Drugs
closed in the mid 1980' s. That need
will be filled as part of recently
announced plans of St. Joseph Hospital
& Health Center.
A new facility will be built on the
west edge of Greentown, across the
highway fiom Barton's and the
Cupboard. It will house two family
practitioners and a pharmacy.
Potentially there will be X- ray services.
Specialists in cardiology, prenatal care
and perhaps other fields will visit the
.. clinic one or two days a week. Dr. Ken
Ridgeway has served Greentown for
about 27 years, now associated with St.
Care. Hospital President, Kathleen
Korbelak, said the present Greentown
Clinic at 124 S. Green St. has no room
for expansion. The location on West
Main Street will allow the space needed
for multiple doctors, a pharmacy and
ample parking. Korbelak stated that
this action is the outcome of a strategic
plan of about one and one half years
ago which identified a need to provide
access to surrounding communities.
The new clinic will be about 5,500
square feet. Dimensions, ( Inc. will
design the building. Todd Moser,
Director of Marketing and
Communications for St. Joseph
Hospital, said, The design will be
aesthetically pleasing and will fit in
with the community." Construction
plans are geared for completion mid- -
Joseph through Sycamore Primary 2002.
A Preservation Success Story
The former Hy- Red Gas Station on East Main Street in Greentown is li
he National Register of Historic Places. Presently owned by Brad Howl
me of Greentown's most familiar landmarks. It is the subject of tl
laperweight commissioned by the Greentown Historical Society. The de
he building was repeated in the new welcome sign erected by Greentow
Street Association at the west edge of town.
Survey of Historic Sites
Coming to Greentown w
In July 200 1 a yearlong project began
which will document all the historic
sites and structures in Howard County.
Howard County is presently one of only
two counties in the state which has not
had the survey done.
Kent Abraham, of Historic
Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, will
be in Greentown during early
December with camera and notepad,
recording details of historic sites. His
observations will be mostly of the
exteriors only. In addition to the visual
study, he supplements information with
visits to county offices, libraries, and
the Howard County Historical Society.
He states that he is not just looking for
" grand" buildings. The architectural
significance of a building has more to
do with how much of the original is
there. Few buildingis &- e in their
original condition, so there is a grading
system which places a building as non-contributing,
contributing, notable, or
outstanding. Common changes which
affect a classification are altering
window sizes and putting on vinyl
siding.
Abraham states, " The survey is an
information tool which provides local
agencies, private and public, with a
record of cultural resources that can be
used in community planning and
development." The documentation of
the survey will be archived at the
Indiana Department of Historic
Preservation and Archeology. A
summary book will be published and
made available to local historic
organizations and libraries. Copies will
be available for purchase by the public,
as well. '
Kent Abraham records details of the West Liberty School. He identified
Queen Anne and Romanesque features. The stone above the door says,
" Dist. No. 4 Built 1897" ( six years after the completion of the Seiberling
Mansion). After being closed as a school, it has served as a church, a
meeting place for 4- H, and a residence. Kent stated that the community
obviously valued their children's education. " They took the basic need of
a schoolhouse and made it as special as they could. The two turrets are
features you might expect on a large building in Indianapolis, but these
people put them on their school." " There was a lot of learning and playing
which took place on this spot." He believes it is not too late to save it if
steps are taken. After all, the Seiberling was in pretty bad shape when
restoration was begun. He states, " Our ' museums' are not just in
conventional museum buildings. They are all around us in those things
which remind us of our heritage."
Photo by Rachel Jenkins