Something Good in Starkville

In a post last year I criticized an award-winning development on the corner of Lynn Road and South Montgomery Street here in Starkville for the fact that it features a nine-foot high block wall around it, completely rejecting the street and the corner on which it is situated. Today I would like to praise a building renovation on another highly visible street corner in town on the corner of Lampkin and South Montgomery Streets. So many new places in town reject the street completely, but this old house renovation, a property owned by Rick Underwood of Rick's Furniture on Stark Road, destined to become a specialty furniture boutique, acknowledges and embraces the corner, the street, and the sidewalk, both aesthetically and functionally. Also, the design and construction are of very high quality. The contractor is Chad Yost. The porch enhancements, and particularly the arbor which reaches out to incorporate the public, pedestrian space, are very well done and demonstrate the touch of a property owner and contractor willing to go the extra mile.



Approaching the new renovation from the south, the weedy lot to the left is the site of a town-owned water tower and is sometimes a storage area for equipment and materials for the development of the old Borden Plant. The fairly new Central Station Grill is in the Borden Plant building on the southwest corner of the Lampkin/South Montgomery intersection. The Grill at least acknowledges the street corner, but doesn't attempt to do anything with it.


A closer look at the building, still approaching from the south on foot. I have always wondered why this intersection, in the middle of town, is not signal controlled. On the one hand I like the four-way stop, because it causes all motorists to pay attention to one another. On the other hand, the railroad tracks bisecting the intersection diagonally cause the eastbound traffic to have to stop on a line 30-40 feet before the actual intersection. Motorists moving in other directions have difficulty determining whether those cars have actually taken their turn stopping or not. Every other four-way intersection for several blocks in any direction are signal controlled.


Getting closer still. The little sidewalk going off to the left is The Grill's attempt to incorporate their landscaping into the pedestrian infrastructure. At least they tried.


A work of art in progress, seen from the opposite corner.





Front facade. According to Mr. Underwood, much of the wood that was removed during remodling was reused. The antique brick that was removed when the old steps were taken away is stacked neatly on the side of the building and will be used for a patio between the front porch and the sidewalk.



East side.



Handicapped access.


Entrance as seen by pedestrian coming from the west.


My panorama of the Central Station Grill and the Borden Plant on the corner across the street. Too bad the sidewalk dies when it gets to the train tracks. I see a lot of pedestrian traffic here. We are a block from Main Street and about two blocks from my house. The landscaping uses quality material and is well-maintained, but design-wise is more evocative of strip-mall than a downtown place to eat in a historic, industrial building. Overall, though, the developers of the Borden Plant are doing it right. The Grill is a spacious, comfortable and attractive space in which I really enjoy eating, and Boardtown Bikes is a great addition. They plan to add condos: read about it here. I hope it happens.


Meanwhile, five blocks south on the same street...