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For the week of Sept. 29, 1999 through Oct. 4, 1999

Ketchum could lose another historic relic


By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

s29louie2.jpg (10527 bytes)Facing demolition is Louies's restaurant building constructed in 1881 as a church. (Express photo by Willy Cook)

Ketchum’s historic roots, in the form of original buildings, have slowly been disappearing over the years, and another is now slated for demolition.

On Monday, the owner of the old Louie’s restaurant building, on the corner of Sun Valley Road and Leadville Avenue, applied for a demolition permit from the city. Such permits are easily attainable and are usually issued a few days after an application comes in, Ketchum planner Stacy Matz said in an interview.

There are no local restrictions or guidelines on building demolitions based on a building’s historic value, Matz said, although the city has had creation of a historic-preservation ordinance on the back burners for almost a year.

The ordinance would enact a local historic preservation commission that would advise the city on methods of preserving historic buildings, as well as enable the commission to recommend acquisition of historic properties and promote and conduct educational programs on historic preservation and local historic properties.

Only federal protection can preclude a building’s owner from demolishing it at will.

The building is one of the city’s few remaining icons of an era now long past. It was built in 1881 as a Congregational Church, which later became an Episcopal Church.

s29louie.jpg (8225 bytes)In 1965, Louie Mallane, now a Boise resident, bought the building and began his successful Italian food restaurant. Mallane currently owns and operates a Louie’s in Boise.

In an interview at the historic building yesterday, Mallane told stories about notables like Ted Kennedy, Diana Ross and Gregory Peck dining there.

"There’s been a lot of happy times but a lot of work," he said.

Mallane said he offered the building to his children, but they didn’t want it. He also offered it to Ketchum, but the city doesn’t have anywhere to put it.

"This has been an ongoing process," Ketchum City Councilman Randy Hall said in a telephone conversation Monday. "The property has been for sale for several years, and Louie has been working graciously with the city of Ketchum to find a home for it."

Unfortunately, a home has been hard to come by.

"I think we need to save as much of our history as we can," Hall said. "It has value to me. In light of all the development, I’m concerned we’re going to lose our heritage in terms of the character of the town of Ketchum. We need to find somebody who’s got some land."

Ketchum/Sun Valley Heritage and Ski Museum president Dick Meyer said the historical society is trying to raise money to save and relocate the building.

But the sands in the building’s hourglass have all but passed.

Mallane said the building will come down before winter arrives, if it is not relocated. The next few weeks will decide.

 

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Copyright © 1999 Express Publishing Inc. All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited.