Earlier this week, we saw yet one more triumph over the May 2019 tornado: The Historic City of Jefferson held an open house at its new office space.
It's a notable occasion because of what the organization has been through to get here.
In February 2019, the nonprofit bought the property, which, appropriately, is the historic Tweedie House, 601 E. High St. Two months later, a tornado struck parts of Jefferson City, including the historic home.
"It was quite challenging for us to all of a sudden have our first property struck pretty heavily by this and be damaged pretty heavily by the tornado," HCJ Executive Director Anne Green said in our recent story, "but then also to be working to try to save as many of these damaged historic homes in town as we could."
The tornado blew one of the walls back 3 inches, so it needed to be stabilized. The building also needed a new roof and heating and cooling systems. Green said repair work is ongoing, although it is about 90 percent finished.
The property has been used for several purposes previously but is perhaps best-known as for the former Tweedie Footwear Co. until the mid-1900s.
Beside the building is the "annex," which HCJ uses for an architectural salvage program. It works with homeowners whose homes need to be demolished to salvage historical pieces in them.
At Wednesday's open house, HCJ dedicated the Nicholas M. Monaco Drawing Room. Monaco, a former HCJ president, died in October. He was responsible for rehabilitating and preserving several historic homes around the city.
HCJ President Donna Deetz also made sure to recognize the recent death of D.J. Delong, a founding member of HCJ.
We're glad to see HCJ's perseverance pay off. Now it will have a new home, better positioning it to move our city forward while preserving its history.
News Tribune