One of the pleasures of watching the Tour de France on television is seeing the wonderful buildings and historic properties of the villages the bikers pass through.
Some of the construction dates back to the 1500’s, and yesterday they mentioned a town square market that was built in 1880 and they said it was new! The pride and care with which historic properties are tended and maintained is obvious.
It is not only the Europeans that know the value of maintaining heritage. Tourism in North Carolina is a booming business, and a big part of that business comes from people visiting historical places. But, first, you have to preserve the historical places.
Henderson gets a failing grade on this. Demolition by neglect is par for the course, and this is just what happens when you do not take care of your property. The Armory is one prime example. Attached are notes that I took on a tour of the Armory in 2006.
I see that visits still take place, but nothing gets done.
The question of what to do with this building seems to pose an impossible quagmire for the city and county. While other cities such as Warrenton and Emporia, Virginia have found adaptive uses for their armories, Henderson has allowed the Armory on Dabney Drive to continue to languish.
It would have made a fine car museum. It would have made a fine Boys and Girls Club. It would have made a fine Farmer’s Market and co-operative exchange enterprise. It would have made a fine gym for E.M. Rollins Elementary School. But none of these things happened.
In fact, nothing has happened because it seems that selling the building and razing it are all that is on the agenda at present. Historical preservation does not make the cut. If this community places historical value on the Armory, then we need to let our government officials know of that historical value. So, I challenge the readers of Home in Henderson to write their own columns this about your memories of the Armory. There’s plenty of space below, and I know the editor won’t mind.
There are things that I recall, but you might not remember: for instance, we used to hold dance recitals there; and I remember the National Guard quartered there during the strike; and I remember Roses holding dinners there; and I remember the Hedgepeth Band playing there. None of this even comes close to the military history that the building has witnessed.
What do you remember? Light up the blog with all the things you remember about the Armory.
If this building is to be preserved because it is part of our heritage, and because it holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the citizens in our community, then we need to talk about these memories. Otherwise, we may lose it, and in its place have another convenience store.
Let’s start the discussion.