Comments for Update: historic sign will be saved at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 13 out of 13 comments http://www.theind.com Wed, 22 May 2013 12:14:35 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-844 Gwyn and Kent ... don't be sad; I'm not dead. And as you have no doubt figured out by now, you're in great hands with Mr. Pierce. - R. Reese Fuller Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:54:23 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-807 Wow, what a great find. As all of you know we will forget our past if we don't find ways to preserve those things that remind us of it. Kudos to Gerd and the MBSB Group for doing that. Downtown is the cradle of our great city and region we must preserve all of it that we can. - Brett Mellington Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:13:50 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-806 That's great stuff, Gwyn/Kent! The AA really was a revitalizing engine for downtown. When I moved back to Lafayette in '87 after being away for four years, downtown Lafayette was shriveling on the vine; Jefferson Street was a one-way! My, how things have changed. - Walter Pierce Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:02:29 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-804 I remember that night...the horror of those little creatures setting up house in Elemore's mat! Oh the trials the organization and building went through together! Here's some nostalgia for you Walter. I just pulled an article out of a grant app folder I have. It was written by none other than yourself. It's about the AA move into their new digs at 551 Jefferson. Publication would have been in late summer or early fall of 1998. Unfortunately all identifying info was trimmed off so I don't have an exact date. I also have a copy of the 1st ArtWalk invite. The date was Sept. 12, 1998. - Gwyn and Kent Hutslar Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:00:35 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-801 I think all of us at the AcA and the Hardware store were holding our breath as that brick wall was tackled by a giant excavator. Thanks to the quality work of a great demo crew, everything has been going super smoothly. I was standing with a group of people outside the building when the sign began to reveal itself - to the surprise even of members of the Voorhies family who owns the building. Perhaps my favorite portion: if you look closely at the bottom line of text it reads "cutlery, wagons and buggies!" I remember about 10 years ago playing in a collaborative project at the Artists Alliance with poetry and paintings by my good friends Darrell Borque and Elemore Morgan. At some point we noticed holes growing in some of the artwork, as termites were chewing their way in! We at the AcA are dedicated to preserve this signage! As part of our contract in building the new theater, we committed to refurbishing the now exposed wall of the hardware store with concrete board. Now that we found this wonderful time capsule we will also find a way to cut it out, preserve it and make space somewhere around the new building. Lafayette has few enough public mementos of its history and I believe that it is part of our mission at the AcA to preserve what we can - even as we make room for the new. The drive-through sculpture and this sign are both important cultural-historical artifacts for this community and I am glad that we are able to assist in making them accessible to our citizens once again. - Gerd Wuestemann, Exec. Director, Acadiana Center for the Arts Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:33:01 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-800 You're right: The AA was a great thing for a downtown that was struggling through some tough times in the late 80s and early 90s. But I didn't know the genesis of ArtWalk began with the AA. Pat yourselves on the back, Gwyn and Kent (and Kathy and Steve and everyone else). I'll be updating the story associated with this running commentary. It looks like the old hardware sign WILL be saved! - Walter Pierce Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:03:06 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-799 Hey Walter! We both remember you well! Wasn't it great to be a part of something that would forever change our town? The fact that you now work in the 2nd home of the Alliance, with a group that was always a prime supporter of the AA is fabulous! Did you know that your current "home" was also the birthplace of ArtWalk? In 1998, as part of the AA "Re-Grand Opening" we planned what we thought was a one time event along with four other galleries making their home on Jefferson St. We laughed at the time about making it a regular event, but we were all so sure it would never fly. Didn't think for a minute that people here would attend on a regular basis. The success of ArtWalk generated true hope that Lafayette was ready to embrace its artists as real, contributing members of the community. Your info about the poor condition of the LHS wall is a sad fact. Wish we could have done more. An aside here...as readers we were saddened to see our great friend Reese leaving his post at The Ind. Then you name popped up! We always wondered what happened to you and missed your wonderful pieces in that "other publication". Welcome to The Ind from some regulars! - Gwyn and Kent Hutslar Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:39:56 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-798 Gwyn & Kent, I remember with nostalgia the Artists' Alliance space in the old Lafayette Hardware Store. I was an AA member back then. Get close to the building and check it out, if you haven't already; you'll fully realize why your work shoring it up from leaks and termites was such a thankless chore: That side of the building is compromised by rot and decay due to its (now former) proximity to the brick wall. Universal truth: wood versus brick, brick wins. You can see into the attic space through at least one gaping hole! Ironically, I now work in the space on Jefferson Street that was home to the AA after it vacated the LHS building and moved around the corner. What, truly, is up with that? - Walter Pierce Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:36:38 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-795 The Artist's Alliance, through the very generous assistance of the building owners, was housed in the hardware store from 1986 until 1998. We remember a lot of work being done over the years to protect that side of the building due to water leaks and termite issues because it sat so close to the side wall of the drive thru. As a long time board members, we're thrilled to see our efforts were not in vain...and we didn't even know the sign was there! - Gwyn and Kent Hutslar Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:40:57 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-793 Love the sign, and what better group to assist in the preservation than the Arcadiana Center for Arts. In Shreveport, there is a fabulous old sign painted on a building for Uneeda Biscuit from the National Biscuit Company. That was the original Premium Saltine from Nabisco. The building it is on is now called the UNEEDA building. - Tanya J. Allen, Shreveport Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:30:47 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-791 WOW! That is truly a blast from the past. It would be awesome if that could be preserved! - frank Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:58:00 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-790 I left a message with the building's owner, JP, and hope to have an answer soon on plans for the sign. In the meantime, see the update above with a more recent photo. - Walter Pierce, Managing Editor Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:42:18 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/4227#comment-789 I hope that painted sign is somehow preserved, if possible. We need these reminders of times past when (almost) everything wasn't owned by multinational conglomerates. - JP Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:37:09 +0100