Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The restoration of the original front of the Vollmer Building in Uniontown is nearing completion.
After aging brick was covered by stucco last fall at the side of the building and the roof was resurfaced, work to restore the original storefront began this spring.
“It’s getting there, we’re hoping it’s all done by the end of May,” said Dale Miller, President of the Uniontown Community Development Association.
The new windows on the front are scheduled to be installed May 12. Sheets of plastic are now draped over the area.
The work includes a street-facing space for retail as well as a production, storage and delivery area.
In 2012, the back area of the building was remodeled and is now a production facility for Grandma Lela’s oatmeal.
In the front, the $37,000 contract with Pivot Design and Construction of Colfax for restoration and construction is part of a 2013 Washington state Community Economic Revitalization Board grant for $98,000.
As part of the UCDA’s mission, the new space will be open to rent to an entity or entities which produce, or market products produced in the region.
Once the building’s front is complete, it will resemble the original look of the mercantile store it used to be, Vollmer and Scott Mercantile. The building is named after John Vollmer, a Lewiston businessman, who opened the general merchandise store in the building.
In the 1960s, it was significantly remodeled, bringing in smaller windows, lowering the 14-15-foot ceiling and plastering over brick and windows.
The high panes will be one of the features on the new front.
Once the work is all complete, Miller hopes to bring in a tenant or tenants.
“We’re open to proposals, but we haven’t been pushing it much, until we know it’s gonna be finished,” he said.
The UCDA bought the Vollmer building at auction for $37,750 in 2012.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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