Downtown Brookhaven

The Brookhaven Downtown Association is now a reality. Over 30 businesses and individuals have joined and the association is ready to begin working on it’s first project!

(See the links on the sidebar to the right)

If you live in the central Brookhaven area or have a business downtown, join! It is free.

Today, the Lincoln County Master Gardeners put a on a very successful and fun event in the “Spring Gardening Extravaganza”, right here in downtown Brookhaven. I perused the goods and savored the ‘burgers, listened to the brass band, but missed the seminars. Homer Richardson tells me that this year’s Extravaganza was even more successful than last year, needing space all the way up the train depot. You can find out more about the event and LCMG here. A few photos. As always, click on the photo for the larger image.

When I saw the for sale sign on the Wand’s Seed Store building a few weeks ago, I was taken back to Easter time as a child when the window was filled with brightly-dyed little chicks. The thought made me a bit sad and anxious for what would be moving into the spot. Thankfully, the space was too big for another check-cashing company. I shuttered at the thought that a real estate or insurance office would take up the space and turn it into yet another sheet rocked and dropped ceiling eyesore. I hoped for maybe a nice sandwich place that had big ice teas and old whirring ceiling fans, but mostly kept the interior unchanged. I cannot tell you how delighted I was with how the building was renovated for Billy Martin’s Antiques. It is really fantastic how the best features of the building, like that wonderful open ceiling, were maintained. The thoughtful use of a white rubber roof for energy efficiency and the many added touches and tasteful color scheme is fine. Admittedly, I have yet to enter the door, i am afraid I may walk out with something, and it looks like it would be expensive.

Click on the images to enlarge, but the photos do not do justice to this renovation. Well worth a walk-by at night, too!

Most of know that the ceiling fan was the preferred cooling method after electricity, but before air-conditioning came to town. Even today, fans provide some energy savings in air-conditioned buildings. It is a bit off-subject but after quite a search I found information from EnergyStar.gov listing the most energy efficient ceiling fans, a spreadsheet sorted on low speed efficiency rating is here. Surprising that one model stands out from the rest.

Information about energy use and historic buildings from the National Parks Service. I believe our southern latitudes, and reduced heating needs, make an excellent example of this:

Older buildings were found to use less energy for heating and cooling and hence probably require fewer weatherization improvements. They use less energy because they were built with a well-developed sense of physical comfort and because they maximized the natural sources of heating, lighting and ventilation. The historic building owner should understand these inherent energy-saving qualities.

The most obvious (and almost universal) inherent energy saving characteristic was the use of operable windows to provide natural ventilation and light. In addition, historic commercial and public buildings often include interior light/ventilation courts, rooftop ventilators, clerestories or skylights. These features provide energy efficient fresh air and light, assuring that energy consuming mechanical devices may be needed only to supplement the natural energy sources. Any time the mechanical heating and air conditioning equipment can be turned off and the windows opened, energy will be saved.

The full brief on this subject is here

A well-known green building architect makes a very good case for historic building renovation. Not only about the inherent energy savings built into these structures, but interesting points about the community impact. One example — renovation of historical structures involves expenditures on local labor and very little on “products”. The result to the local economy is significant. Local labor income results in a domino effect of local spending and thereby provides many local economic benefits that new construction does not. New construction typically involves large purchases of “labor-saving” components outside of the local area.

If you are really curious, spend 28 minutes listening to this audio interview:

We have a real treasure downtown, an unusually fine and well managed public library. Henry Ledet is largely responsible for the exceptional staff and facilities of our library and today, I quite accidentally discovered Henry’s blog for the library located here.

I finally got the chance to get a good photo of the work that Terry Pappas has done on his buildings. A beautiful renovation!

The local newspaper today featured the hot construction market that Brookhaven has become. Much mention was made of yet another strip mall, an Arby’s and a Waffle House. What a contrast the downtown scene is to the “Boulevard” leading to I-55. There is a lot of activity around restoring the beautiful structures of the past, like the Storm Building. I am not too sure what the Arby’s and Waffle House buildings will look like in a hundred years or so, but Buddy Haley and crew are freshing things up on a Whitworth Ave building from the late 1800′s .

As a re-planted Brookhaven resident, born right downtown in a house long moved, I see anew the potential for it’s re-birth. A downtown community is started to form once again. Here is a place for discussing and passing on the happenings in this community. Onward!