Hello Neighbors!
It’s another grand day in the ol’ West End.
As many of you probably know, this past fall West Central lost one of its legends in the passing of Jody Hemphill Smith. Jody and husband Mark co-owned the Castle Gallery and have been integral fixtures in the neighborhood for decades. Jody’s influence on the local art culture was so strong she was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from Arts United in Fort Wayne. In addition to her passion for the arts, Jody was a tireless advocate for trees (and almost anything green!) and the tree canopy in Fort Wayne. Her presence will be felt for years to come.
Continuing that tradition of influence and to honor Jody’s legacy, Mark has created the Hemphill Smith Art Foundation with a mission to create and maintain public works of art and to provide scholarships for Indiana art students. One of their first projects will be the installation of a sculpture, inspired by one of Jody’s many paintings, here in West Central. It will be created by family friend and well-known local sculptor, Cary Shafter. The piece will be located at our western gateway on the triangle bordered by West Jefferson Blvd, Garden Street and Swinney Park Place. Mark and the foundation have committed to fundraising for the project and have already begun that process. A current (subject to change) rendering by the artist is included below. While the WCNA has officially given its support for this project, many approvals are still pending so we’ll keep you posted on progress along with more details as they emerge.
Our very own Historic Preservation Committee (HPC) has been very busy these past few weeks. With the various clean energy tax advantages currently available we have seen an uptick in requests for installation of solar panels and other energy efficiency mechanicals. While these technologies can bring lots of advantages, they can also greatly diminish the historic character of our neighborhood, something the WCNA is pledged to protect. So at the request of the City of Fort Historic Preservation Commission, our neighborhood HPC organized a meeting inviting representatives from other associations, to provide the Commission guidance on approvals for these technologies in protected Local Historic Districts (LHDs). The result of their work, which was approved by the WCNA Board of Directors and submitted to the Commission, can be found on our website here. Many thanks go to our HPC volunteers for their hours of work and expertise. It’s making a difference!
Speaking of history, a real often overlooked gem here in West Central is the Thieme Overlook (pictured below), which was completed in 1911. This little oasis by the river is located at the intersections of Main, Rockhill and Berry and by standing at the rail in the picture below you face the Main Street Bridge. There’s also a colorized photo from the early 1900s labeled “River Bank Improvement”. This park was part of a much larger Park & Boulevard master plan created by renowned landscape architect, George Kessler.
The overlook and Thieme Drive get their names from the founder of the Wayne Knitting Mills, Theodore F. Thieme, who every day walked from his home at the northeast corner of Berry and Rockhill past this site on his way to mill still standing behind Paul’s Restaurant on Main. He noted and lamented all the debris in the river and commissioned a cleanup plus provided funding for the ultimate mast plan.
If you visit the Overlook today you’ll notice lots of overgrowth, dead trees and shrubs, and just a general feeling of tiredness. There’s also graffiti on wall facing the river and some damaged balustrades. After some back and forth, your WCNA was able to get Parks & Recreation (who maintains the property) to commit to refreshing the Overlook. They’ll remove invasive species, remove any downed and/or dead vegetation, trim back the trees and just generally spruce it up. In addition they are seeking funding for repairing the balustrades, which may take a little longer.
While Parks & Rec is fine removing the graffiti, experience suggests it will unfortunately be back in short order. They suggested the WCNA sponsor a mural on the wall, which around the city has acted as a barrier to graffiti (perhaps an artist’s code). At our membership meeting last night there was a lot of enthusiasm for this idea – recognizing the need to have any artwork fit with the site and with our historic legacy – so the plan will be to solicit ideas from local/neighborhood artists and to ultimately commission a piece. More to come!
This Sunday (3/24) at 4 pm is the WCNA’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt, held every year at Moody Park. Plan to bring the kids for a rousing race for eggs and candy. I’ll be there with the grandkids!
For all of the 2024 WCNA events -which are many – please visit our calendar of events.
See you on the front porch!
Joel Sauer, President