Area residents can now purchase items the Historic City of Jefferson has rescued from older buildings before they were demolished.
The HCJ Architectural Salvage Shoppe contains a wide range of items - lights, doorknobs, doors, columns, shutters, stair railings and windows - saved from homes throughout Jefferson City.
"Old places matter, and they matter to our community," HCJ Executive Director Anne Green said. "Even if those places can't be saved, they still have a value, so it's important that we try to save what we can."
The group quietly started collecting items from soon-to-be-demolished buildings a few years ago, but the May 22 tornado intensified matters as several storm-damaged buildings have either already been torn down or are at risk of being demolished.
"With the May 22 tornado, people have been contacting us as they're having to tear down their house or renovate it or repair it, and they're getting rid of a lot of these historic windows and doors that have been in their houses for 70, 80, 90 years, so we've become the place where people are giving that," Green said.
As many property owners look toward renovating or rebuilding their homes, Green said, they can purchase historic-type features from the shop.
People can book an appointment to visit the Architectural Salvage Shoppe at 601 E. High St. by emailing Green at [email protected] or by contacting the HCJ at facebook.com/HCJSalvage/.
Last week, the group posted its first items for sale on the HCJ Architectural Salvage Shoppe Facebook page - clocks from the old St. Mary's Hospital. The group will also sell various blueprints of the old hospital, Green said.
Last August, property owner Farmer Holding Company allowed volunteers to save various materials from the old hospital before it was demolished.
"We want to make sure these get into a good home and they're going to be used and people have an opportunity to enjoy them like people did 70 years ago. But also we want to make sure these items aren't sitting in a warehouse or storeroom for the next 10 years," Green said.
HCJ member Angie Finton, with Angie Finton Designs, said residents can let their creative side take over when repurposing items from the shop, such as removing the numbers from the old St. Mary's Hospital clocks and replacing them with photos or freezing the clock time to match the time their children were born.
"Repurposing items that have unique meaning to you and your family bring a special design element into your home that can't be purchased at a big-box store," Finton said.
HCJ stores the salvaged items in the Tweedie House at 601 E. High St., which the organization purchased earlier this year. The new office space allows the organization to store items in one location instead of several basements or storage units, Green said.
The inventory will continue to change as volunteers collect more items, Green added.
Prices for items vary, Green said, but the goal is to keep them reasonable.
The money will go toward other HCJ projects, such as paying for building permits. The HCJ offered to pay for building permits needed to fix structures damaged during the tornado.
HCJ has put $3,000 toward building permits so far, Green said. The organization will continue to pay for building permits through August.