Ashland Millard Field Building

Once a thriving department store in Ashland, Kentucky, the Millard F. Field Building fell into disrepair after the Sears Department Store moved to a much larger location in Cedar Knoll Galleria in 1990.

History

Once referred to as the Millard F. Field Building, the iconic six-floor downtown structure later housed the Sears Department Store in Ashland, Kentucky until 1989. In the 1970s, a fire caused damage to several upper floors, and a façade was installed in an attempt to conceal the abrasions and to modernize the building.

The building has remained vacant since 1999. In 2000, A.D. Restoration Company began removing the tiled façade from the building but work stopped when the company declared bankruptcy.

On June 1, 2005, work resumed on the renovation of the old Sears Department Store structure.(1) Rail Construction of Cannonsburg, Kentucky performed the “undressing” of the historic structure, and a backhoe and lift was used to remove the metal awning that was deteriorating over the sidewalk. The process took over one week to complete.

“It’s just thrilling me beyond words and it’s bringing back a lot of memories. Seeing some of that old façade and that old signage, it’s like my childhood all over again.”(1)

-Ashland Main Street Director Danny Craig

Perry and Susan Madden, owners of the adjacent Henry Clay House, purchased the Fields Building with hopes to restore the property into a 40-unit senior citizen apartment complex with retail along the first floor.(1) The Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) approved $416,000 in housing tax credits in May 2005 for the project, although it required partial-occupancy of the building by December 31, 2007. The Maddens also applied for a federal historic preservation tax credit.

In early November 2006, the KHC approved of the proposed development.(2) The news came upon the realization that without the consent of the KHC, there would be delays regarding paperwork and that the deadline for occupancy might not have been obtained.

The initial plan called for the former one-story former J.C. Penny structures between the Henry Clay Hotel and the Fields Building to be demolished and replaced with a surface parking lot.(2) A low-rise brick wall with iron railing would have been installed as a physical barrier between Winchester Avenue and the parking lot. After the KHC approved of the plans, the master plan was revised, allowing for the construction of 40 apartments that would front Winchester Avenue in a new, four-story structure.

On January 16, 2007, demolition began on the three, one-story, former J.C. Penny buildings.(3) A foundation was completed but the project stalled; restoration work on the Fields Building also stalled.(4)

In early 2008, the city of Ashland requested that the Maddens develop a new master plan regarding the Fields Building, and gave the developers a March 1 deadline.(4) The deadline passed, and on May 1, the city condemned the Fields Building due to deteriorating mortar and brickwork.

On October 1, 2009, the Ashland Board of City Commissioners accepted an agreement from the Maddens that saved the Fields Building from demolition.(5) Under the agreement, the Maddens must perform major restoration in four phases and complete the work by April 5, 2010. The work, which began on October 5, included pressure washing and repairing brick and masonry, repairing and restoring the terrra cotta, and installing new windows.

The repairs will make the facade more attractive and eliminate dangerous hazards, suhc as falling bricks and masonry.(5) Once the work on the exterior is complete, the city will not pressure them to complete work on the interior. The agreement also requires the Maddens to grade and gravel the lot adjacent to the building by the end of 2009.

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