LUDLOW, Ky. — A historic Ludlow building abandoned since the 1970s will regain life over the next six years as the Ludlow Heritage Museum seeks to restore the former railyard storehouse.
Currently, in its first stages of restoration, the “Industrial Romanesque” style building has debris littered throughout, but the history is in the lasting original brick walls and arched clerestory windows.
The building is historically significant because it is known as the last standing structure in Ludlow, used by the Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Texas Pacific Railways, constructed in the 1870s.
The original Ludlow rail yards were constructed of wood, and in 1887, a fire in the yards wiped out the early buildings. According to museum research, James Meehan, who oversaw the yards at the time, stepped in to rebuild them in more permanent materials between 1888 and 1892.
According to Vice President of the Ludlow Heritage Museum Board Patrick Snadon, they are not sure who designed the Ludlow Railyard Storehouse. They estimate it was built after the 1887 fire but before 1992.
The structure served as an office space and storage facility for the railyard to house parts manufactured in the yard to repair railroad engines and cars.
The building became part of Southern Railway and is now owned by Norfolk Southern Railway. The Ludlow Heritage Museum entered into a long-term lease agreement with Norfolk Southern in January to be able to restore the building.
The Ludlow Heritage Museum restoration plans will utilize the original office space as their own and turn the first floor into a museum space.
Phase three of the project — the construction phase — is planned to take place from January 2024 through December 2026. According to the museum’s restoration plan, a complete exterior restoration will take place in this phase, including roof repairs, masonry repairs, and historic window replacement.
The interior renovation will accommodate the museum’s collections, new mechanical systems, bathrooms, a catering kitchen, exhibit systems, lighting, and built-ins.
The building originally had two stories with a full basement and opened to lower-level tracks on its east side. The basement level has since been buried over the years.
The last phase of the museum’s plans is to rehabilitating the basement area. The timeline for this final phase is January 2028 through December 2028. The plans call to make the basement accessible, pour new concrete, and install additional museum items.
Snadon gave a presentation at the last Ludlow City Council meeting held on Aug. 11 to show the council why the building should be a designated historic landmark in the city, which would allow more lenient building codes to be met during the renovation process. That will enable the museum to retain the original features, like the exposed brick walls and door widths.
“The storehouse is the only building to survive from the dozens of structures built in the once-bustling railyards,” according to the Ludlow Urban Design Review Board. “It is the only remaining building that directly connects the town to its important railway history.”
Snadon said they are waiting for Norfolk Southern to approve making the site a designated historic landmark since they own the property. He added that the company has already approved putting the storehouse on the National Register of Historic Places. That process can take over a year to complete, and they need approval before their restorations begin, which is why they are getting it locally named as a historical landmark.
If Norfolk Southern approves making the building a historical landmark, it will go back to the city to approve.
The Ludlow Heritage Museum is currently tight on space, storing some of its artifacts in boxes until they can accommodate the storehouse location.
The efforts by the museum all depend on private funding and grant raising, according to Snadon. The project’s total estimated cost is $2.5 million. According to the museum, the square footage in the existing structure will cost less to renovate than new commercial construction.
“It’s hard to put a price on Ludlow’s last remaining piece of railroad history, and that’s what this building is,” Snadon said.
Visit the Ludlow storehouse site to learn more about the ongoing restoration efforts.
