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By David Howell
A piece of Water Valley history may be leaving Main Street, one brick at a time.
Taylor developer Campbell McCool is in the process of purchasing the old TWL three-story building. The deal is expected to close this week. McCool has said that he plans to demolish the building and use the bricks for development in Taylor.
The owner of the building, Howard Shere, listed the building approximately three months ago with Water Valley realtor Lee McMinn and Kessinger Realty.
The Herald was unable to contact McCool at press time.
“I am sick about it, I hate it more than anybody,” McMinn said.
“But I have an obligation to my seller and my buyer,” McMinn said.
McCool’s plans in Taylor include 150 new homes and a set of new commercial, retail and public buildings as part of “Main Street Taylor,” a new project on the corner of Main Street, according to a Sept. 2005 article in the Oxford Eagle.
The issue behind the issue, McMinn says, is how did Water Valley get in the economic position that the historic buildings can be purchased for salvage.
“The concern should be what are the leadership and the citizens of this town going to do to prevent this from happening in the future,” McMinn said.
“Rent prices per square foot in Water Valley are less than 50 cents a square foot, where our neighboring town, Oxford, rent prices are $8 to $12 a square foot,” McMinn said.
The building is approximately 10,000 square feet, with 5,000 square feet on the first floor and 5,000 square feet on the second floor. It was listed at $150,000.
“McCool has said that to bring the building up to speed where it could be commercially viable to operate a retail location, a restaurant or apartments would require an investment in the neighborhood of $750,000,” McMinn said.
No one is no more familiar with the building than Paul Parker, who owned it from 1946 until 1990 when he sold it to Shere.
Parker operated a Ben Franklin Five and Dime store at the location from 1936 until 1973 when he leased his store to the TWL chain.
“It is a degree of sadness to realize that I had invested so many years of my life in it – improving the building – and then to have it torn down,” Parker said.
Parker also said he received a call months ago from someone asking about the history of the building.
“I knew the caller was from out of town, because he didn’t use my first name,” Parker said.
“When I later heard a Taylor developer had bought it, I knew right away it was for the bricks,” Parker continued.
“The old-timers said the bricks used to make the building were made about where the courthouse is now,” he said. According the Parker, the sun-dried bricks are very unstable and, in his opinion, unsuitable for renewed use.
Parker also said, at one time or another while he owned the building, it had served as the masonic lodge, a Seventh Day Adventist Church, and as offices for multiple lawyers and a dentist office.
“On the backside of the building, signs would wash out and earlier signs would appear,” Parker said about the history of the building.
“One sign was from a restaurant that later operated in Memphis for a number of years,” Parker said.
The Public Speaks
“I hate to see it go,” said long-time Main Street proprietor Binnie Turnage. “I bought many sacks of candy in there when it was a five and dime store,” Turnage said. “And I hate to see another vacant lot on Main Street.
Amateur historian and professional photographer Jack Gurner also also commented about the situation.
“Because people know that I am a member of the Planning Commission, I have received a number of calls,” said Gurner.
“According to the department of Archives and History, unless the building is on the register of historic places, or if it is publicly owned, or if government money is involved, there is nothing to be done to halt the destruction,” Gurner continued.
“I think it is a travesty if they tear it down,” said Main Street building owner Steve Thompson agreed. “For Water Valley to be successful, we have to discover a niche that someone else doesn’t have and develop it,” Thompson said. The architect on Main Street should play an important role in what needs to happen, Thompson continued.
And Thompson is speaking from experience. He purchased the buildings that formerly housed the International Harvestor dealership in 1996. These buildings, as described by Thompson, were in in similar or worse condition as the TWL building.
“My partners and I were being led to do something that wasn’t already here,” Thompson said.
The vision started with a gym. Now the buildings house a gym, physical therapy clinic, lawyer’s office, eight upstairs apartments and a medical billing and office management company.
But, Thompson is quick to tell you he could not have done it alone.
“There were two things that helped me get this off the ground,” Thompson said.
“Mechanics Bank offered a low interest loan to fix certain aspects of the building,” Thompson said. “And I had a lot of family and friends to come down here and give me free labor.”
At one point, Thompson described, when he was out of money and his building was unfinished, Arnold Wayne and Sean Carothers lent a crew for three weeks – and didn’t charge Thompson for the work.
Water Valley Garden Club president Libby Kuchta was busy working behind the scenes as the news traveled.
“Our Main Street provides the Mayberry touch when you pass through Water Valley,” Kuchta said. “Another vacant lot will not help that image.”
Looking Ahead
“If you are going to tear down the building, what type of recognition are you going to give Water Valley when you use the bricks in Taylor?” asked one Water Vallian who has been active in the discussion, Anna Koshenina.
The next question that develops is what will happen with the vacant lot after the building is demolished.
“McCool is a visionary, he could develop that space and make something good for Water Valley,” Koshenina said.
“By buying that building, he has become a Water Vallian.”
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