Victory demo “crushing” for founder’s granddaughter
published 6:48pm Friday Nov 27, 2009
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Downtown’s Victory Shoe Store, as Ethel Crowe remembers it from her childhood.
HISTORIC PHOTO
While the unceremonious demolition of the art-deco glass storefront of the old Victory Shoe Store on the Downtown Mall has angered city planners, preservationists, and fans of the classic storefront—and contributed to some spirited discussion on the function of the BAR, property rights, anonymous comment posting, and “unconsciously bourgeois pathology”—for Ethel Crowe, it’s been like losing a piece of her life.
“It has made me so sick, I can’t tell you what it has done to us,” says Crowe, whose Russian immigrant grandparents, Isaac and Freda Kobre, opened the store in 1921.
“I was born in that store,” says Crowe, “That’s all I ever knew. It has been crushing. I hope they can put it back the way it was. But it will never be the same.”
As Crowe reveals, her grandparents put a new store front on the building around 1947, modifying what was already there.
Crowe says her parents, Tillie (“Miss Tillie,” Crowe says people called her) and Bernie Miller, eventually took over the store and operated it until 1995, when Tillie passed away. Crowe says she managed to keep the store going for another year, but finally closed and gave all the shoes away to charity.
“We were there for 75 years, that’s a long time,” says Crowe, struggling for words to describe the loss.
Crowe said she’s already called the building’s owner, Joe Gieck, to ask why he demolished the store front; his explanation that the glass was cracked was not well-received by Crowe.
“I hope something is done,” she says. “Maybe a petition to have it restored.”
When does “historic” start ? In 1947 when the building’s front was modified ? Should we bring back the “historic” traffic that existed before the mall was bricked over? How about that “historic” front on Splendora’s or the “historic” feel of the Transit Center. Within reason, I support the community dictating rules that benifit the community, but for the life of me I just don’t see this as a big deal. The building’s owner is attempting to provide a space that will attract a new business to the Mall and avoid yet another empty space. Glass front 60 years old ? Pleasant memories for some, but is it really “historic”.
Give it a rest! A glass front store being modified is not a cause for all this wringing of hands. The current owners have the Right to use their property (and that includes modifying the front of the establishment) as they determine is in their best interest as long as it doesn’t interfere with the long range Plan for the Mall. To those who want to keep everything as it is , BUY the property and then you can preserve it as you wish.
“J. Cook” = “Joe Gieck”?
J. - did they really have the “Right”?
J Cook– that’s the issue. The owner purchased several protected properties on the Mall and agreed to abide by the rules. People are angry because the owner feels he shouldn’t have to abide by the same rules that everyone else does, though he’s been more than willing to reap the many benefits of owning properties in a historic district.
You may not care, or see the value in protection, but many others feel differently.
Times change. Should we stay “historic” forever? Perhaps we should get rid of all buildings, road, technology, etc., and just live off the land with sticks and stones.
Now, back to digging slugs out of the ground with my bare fingers. I really need some protein. My loincloth is falling right off my body.
Outskirts Guy– that’s easily the dumbest argument I’ve heard in a long time. Only a few areas/buildings are protected in Charlottesville. There are plenty, both old and new, that are not protected, nor will they ever be. People know what they’re getting into when they buy one of these FEW protected properties.
Digging slugs out of the ground? Are you for real?
and if it were preserved, it would be the biggest tourist attraction of all time.
Congratulations on being born in a manger. I hope that works out for you.
A building doesn’t have to be “historic” to be in a “historic district” and have it exteriror regulated by the BAR. In fact, it can be brand new or even under the design phase.
are going to petition that the hospital in which I was born be preserved for all eternity. I mean, this is ME we’re talking about.
In all seriousness, I fail to see why the feelings of someone that owned the property over ten years ago is worthy of a column in the hook. There are far, far, far greater tragedies, just on the downtown mall.
Should we fight to preserve the boarded up storefronts? Seriously. Someday those storefronts may be sold and are the new owners going to have to go in front of the BAR to remove the plywood currently there? Because in the future, that plywood will be “historic”.
Make an offer to buy it and if successful, do with it what you want. Everything is for sale.