Jon Gentz owns three buildings with a past. His dwelling is located at 708 W. Lincolnway, at a level below grade of the National highway. Originally flush with U. S. Route 30, the building was built in 1931, opening on May 16. The enterprise was
Kier’s Log Tavern.
The first three photos were taken on Tuesday, July 10, 2018. The buildings had been moved to a higher elevation above Rock Creek. Last year each rested atop a concrete slab. Gentz said the shingles were a 2017 improvement, too. Each roof, he noted, “was originally wood.”
In mid-2018 new foundations were prepared, using weather-treated, “greenwood” 4X4’s to raise the cabins 4″ above the sill. The floor is drainage-inducing gravel over dirt.
Original raw siding (golden brown in the photos below) was maintained, as was the black tar paper overlayment. Primitive, weathered split-bark slabs cover the exterior. “Gary and Chad Milnes, ” stated Gentz, “are doing the work. They got the bark from a sawmill.”
By Friday, July 13, doors had been installed. Gentz stated he kept the original windows; when they are repaired, they will be reinserted. Each cabin has three windows.
The west cabin interior is shown in the next two photos. Knob-and-tub wiring remains hanging from the rafters. It was in common use in North America from about 1880 to the 1930’s. Spider webs are visible on a picture frame; scraps of paper are still attached to one wall.
By Wednesday, July18, the doors had been painted dark brown.