Wabash hopes to bring new life to historic Sposeep & Sons Building
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA historic gem in Wabash is on the brink of disappearing. The Sposeep & Sons Building, built in 1890, is listed on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list for 2024, and city officials are hoping to see the building preserved and adapted for new use.
The building was constructed by Steven A. Cook, whose family operated a scrap metal and junkyard business. Abe Sposeep & Sons took over the business in 1924, operating out of the same building for nearly a decade before closing its doors in 2018.
Inside the building today, there is still some original machinery and bundled paper trails of the people who came before. The weights from the building’s original elevator are still intact.
Christine Flohr, executive director of Visit Wabash County, told Around INdiana Reporter Mary-Rachel Redman that officials hope to make the building another example of historic revitalization that has been seen in downtown Wabash.
Flohr cited the Eagles Theatre, a nearly 120-year-old building that reopened in 2020 after a lengthy renovation.
“Investing in these old buildings is preserving a part of our history and our culture and who we are as a people,” Flohr said. “This is a great testament that what can be done if you dream big. Downtowns like this are an indicator to investors on how well we take care of our community.”
Historian Ron Woodward argues that saving pieces of these old buildings also leaves a tangible legacy that people can feel even today, generations later.
“Somebody coming in may look at it and see, okay, there’s a layer of white paint, and it’s old brick to me. That tells a story,” he said. “That’s brick that was made locally; that connects me to the past. You know, my grandpappy might have been a brick layer. We like old buildings because we can touch them, we can feel, we can identify with them. They bring back memories to us.”
But efforts to preserve the historic spouse building face significant challenges from structural to a hefty price tag. Wabash Mayor Scott Long says renovating the building to get it up to code would cost up to $3 million.
“We want to keep our history. We want to keep and repurpose the buildings that we have,” Long said.
Flohr said the Sposeep & Sons tagline on the sign attached to the building says it all: “Recycling today to preserve tomorrow.”
“That’s what you’re seeing. By saving that building, we’re saving a natural resource building out of a limestone,” she said. “The structure has a really great story to tell.”
The property is currently owned by the city of Wabash, and the Wabash Redevelopment Commission is marketing the site for reuse.
However, Indiana Landmarks said officials are willing to consider demolition to clear the site for new construction if no viable reuse plans are made.