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MediationKing effort keeps local history alive
The issue: Saving the Reeves plant
Our position: History of some structures and meaning to community make preservation a good investment.
OVER the past half century, Columbus has been able to strike a balance between preserving its past while building to its future.
Instead of simply tearing down old buildings and starting from scratch, dedicated individuals and groups have elected to adapt several local landmarks to present and future needs.
In some instances, that step is impractical and extraordinarily expensive — case in point: Central Middle School.
The community — despite the nostalgic attachment to the old building especially among graduates who knew it as Columbus High School — seems to have accepted that reality.
However, when efforts are mounted such as the plans by Columbus Capital Foundation to re-open Zaharako’s Confectionary, there is a sense of relief in the community that someone cares enough to save a piece of the past.
The same can be said of the restoration effort now under way at the old Reeves Pulley Co. plant on Seventh Street.
Brothers Peter and Kevin King have reconfigured a part of the massive structure into offices for their legal practices and are in the process of evaluating possibilities for the rest of the space.
The purchase and rehabilitation of the building by the two Columbus natives is certainly a business venture. However, it also is a gift to the community in that it keeps alive the memory of the Reeves family and the role of the factory in the lives of so many local families.
In the early 20th century, Reeves was to Columbus and the surrounding areas what Cummins Inc. is today.
The family that ran the facility in those early years had a commitment to the community that was rare in companies of that time. Local legend has it that regardless of economic conditions, the company always adopted alternative cost-cutting measures instead of laying off workers.
It can be said that it spawned the Columbus of the future. Before they went on to become co-founders of Cummins Engine Co. and Arvin Industries respectively, Clessie Cummins and Q.G. Noblitt worked on the lines at Reeves.
It’s that kind of history which makes preservation a good business investment.
