ROGERSVILLE — Hawkins County officials weren’t excited Thursday about having to pay their half of a $6,208 annual insurance premium for the historic Kenner House in Rogersville.
The prospects of paying half the cost of an expensive restoration project for the 177-year-old vacant building was even less appealing to members of the Hawkins County Commission’s Buildings Committee.
Buildings Committee members may be a bit burned out on historical preservation efforts, having nearly completed a strenuous two-year renovation of the county courthouse.
Committee Chairman Darrell Gilliam joked that they ought to put up a sign at the building stating “Homeless Welcome” in hopes that “Maybe they’ll burn it down.”
Hawkins County is just now wrapping up the $2 million renovation to the Hawkins County Courthouse, which is one year newer than the Kenner House which was built in 1835.
The 1824 Hale Springs Inn owned by the Rogersville Heritage Association experienced a similar restoration, which was completed in 2009 at a cost of $2.4 million, although that project included construction of a new rear building that added to the cost.
According to a history of Rogersville listed on the city’s official Web site, the Kenner House (also known as the Clay-Kenner House), 403 E. Main, was built in 1835 by local attorney John A. McKinney, an early settler, lawyer and judge who also built the Hale Springs Inn. McKinney built the Kenner House as a wedding gift to his daughter, Susan.
Today the original house is owned jointly by the city of Rogersville and Hawkins County. The H.B. Stamps Public Library and Rogersville Senior Center are in a separate, modern building next to the Kenner House. Until a couple of years ago, the Kenner House was home to the Hawkins County Industrial Board, Workforce Investment Act office, and Habitat For Humanity.
There hasn’t been an official evaluation of the building regarding what a historic restoration would entail. Nor is there a plan for what the building would be used for, or an idea of the cost.
“We’ve got to stabilize it first before we can do anything,” County Mayor Melville Bailey told the committee Thursday. “The first floor is stabilized, and we meet with Foundation Solutions next Tuesday. So after next Tuesday, hopefully we’ll have a clearer understanding of if and when we can occupy again.”
Bailey added, “The library is constantly looking for storage, and I don’t know if that (use) would be a future consideration.”
Rogersville Building Inspector Steve Nelson is also a member of the Rogersville Heritage Association. Nelson is familiar with the Kenner House and said he believes a renovation would mostly entail cosmetic improvements to the inside.
“It’s definitely restorable,” Nelson told the Times-News following the Buildings Committee meeting. “I couldn’t even begin to guess how much it would cost, but I guess it depends on how nice you want to make it. There’s cracks in plaster, paint, heat and air, but I think they took care of the structural problems. I think it’s stable now.”
Nelson added, “It’s absolutely worth saving. I think it’s a treasure. It’s a piece of history. The Rogersville Historical Preservation Commission, of which I’m a member of, would never vote to allow that building to be torn down. If it was condemned or dangerous that would be a different story, but it’s not.”
Hawkins County Facilities Manager Alana Roberts told the Buildings Committee the building isn’t compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
“It would take a lot of work on the inside,” Roberts said. “We would have to do a lot of tearing out and adding to the inside to make it ADA compliant, which takes away from the integrity of the building. The electrical and lighting are not conducive to having an office.”
Gilliam asked if the county could give its half to the city. Bailey said the city wants to give its half to the county.
“Just leave it alone,” committee member Dwight Carter said. “It will fall down.”
Carter added, “You couldn’t do what we’re talking about for a half million dollars. To update it where it’s usable, you couldn’t do it for less than a half million.”
Roberts told the Buildings Committee during Thursday’s meeting that insurance coverage for the Kenner House is going to be dropped by the provider as of Oct. 1 due to the building being unoccupied.
The new insurance quote is for $6,208 per year and is based on the building’s assessed value of $642,000. Some commissioners suggested that assessed value was a bit steep. Roberts noted that the assessment reflects the building’s historic value.
The committee agreed by a less than enthusiastic voice vote to pay its half of the insurance costs, with Rogersville to pay the other half.