Inside the Block
We're shining a spotlight on the vibrant businesses and and unique history of the Warehouse Block in Lexington, Kentucky! Every first and third Sunday of the month we're serving up a fun blend of inspiring, behind-the-scenes stories of the Bluegrass region's most dynamic district!
Inside the Block
Unbottled History: The Story of Epping's and the National Register of Historic Places!
The John G. Epping Building is more than just a structure; it's a beloved part of Lexington's history. In this episode, we unravel the remarkable transformation from a bustling bottling factory to a culinary landmark. Listeners will learn about the history of the soft drink industry, as we recount how Epping's played a pivotal role in shaping local consumer culture. Imagining the bustling factory of yesterday, churning out popular soft drinks, juxtaposes beautifully with the vibrant atmosphere of today's Epping's restaurant, where culinary creativity thrives!
And as we delve into the fascinating world of historic preservation, we shed light on common misconceptions surrounding the National Register of Historic Places. Here, we clarify how this designation honors properties without restricting the creativity of their owners. The episode emphasizes that preservation is not about stalling modern progress but instead enriching it.
From bustling bottling factory to a beloved culinary landmark, the John G Epping Building on Walton Avenue has witnessed Lexington's evolution through the decades. Today, we're uncovering its remarkable transformation and diving into the fascinating process of historic preservation. We'll debunk common misconceptions about the National Register of Historic Places and explain what this designation truly means for historic properties like Epping's. Join us as we explore the stories of one of Lexington's most treasured establishments. So this is our Epping's episode, and we teased this a little bit in our last episode of Inside the Block because I said that listeners were going to have to deal with you, Jonathan, for two episodes.
Speaker 2:Those poor listeners I know.
Speaker 1:But listen, this is your last one and I mean it, Okay.
Speaker 2:I'll get the hell out after this one.
Speaker 1:Get the hell out of here. The only reason you're allowed in on this particular episode is because we're talking full-blown history, and I know that you love lexington history as much as I do. Last episode we really talked about like an overview of the warehouse blocks history, but this episode is going to be a lot more in depth about one of the crown jewels of the warehouse block, which is the john g epping bottling works.
Speaker 2:What makes it a crown jewel?
Speaker 1:It's a crown jewel because it's been there for a very long time. It's architecturally very cool in the sense that it really symbolizes early 20th century industry and it's just, it's a great story. It was. It is rooted in bottling, is rooted in soda, the beginning of like soda water and like flavoring and, and what we know today is like the soft drink, and then it dealt with prohibition and then it came out of that. So it's just, it's a neat story of like industry and consumerism, like we as human beings have loved soda since its inception for sure, so welcome thank you so much, you're welcome and for those of our listeners who may not know where the eppings yes, where is that dang thing?
Speaker 1:so it is in the warehouse block. Of course, it's at the corner of walton and national, which, by the way, today I don't know if I told you this yet or not we are recording this on Thursday, february 27th, and exactly 91 years ago today was when National Avenue became an official street that was like yeah, dedicated to the city of Lexington let's jump into the history then okay, history of Eppings.
Speaker 1:I'm going to keep this as short and concise as possible because I feel like we're going to get more into this. The actual next episode is I'm going to go and interview super excited about this Cole Arimus. Cole Arimus is a full blown culinary rockstar of Lexington, kentucky. He is the current like owner executive chef of Epping's, as well as Cole's on Maine.
Speaker 2:So I love Cole.
Speaker 1:I know I love Epping's, like Epping's does not serve a bad dish and they have such great cocktails, so and it's just like in such a great historic atmosphere obviously. So it's going to be really exciting to get to go interview coal net for our next episode.
Speaker 1:So, the history of Epping's is pretty awesome. The Epping's family was originally from the Louisville area and really the story starts with Herman Epping. He started up a bottling factory in Louisville in 1863. He gets it going, it's fairly successful and then he passes away and it's actually a really great story of sort of women entrepreneurs. So his wife takes over at a time when, like, women did not take over businesses usually, and she really keeps everything afloat and does a phenomenal job until Herman and her son, john G Epping, comes onto the scene. He kind of comes of age and takes over the whole industry. He helps make it so successful that they start branching out to other areas in the region. They have an Epping's. They open one in Lexington, originally on Third Street. They other areas in the region. They have an Epping's. They opened one in Lexington, originally on third street, they opened one in Southern Indiana and so they were kind of looking to like expand essentially.
Speaker 2:So as far as Epping's, like their historical context, within, like for the consumer, they were just a bottling plant that would then push out different colas and different products to the greater area. Yes, so the same for Third Street, same for the Louisville one. So they were bottling Cokes and they were bottling Sprites, correct? They didn't have the Orange Crushes, I guess. Totally.
Speaker 1:So Coke did not actually have. Coke has always been like its own entity. So Coke always had its own Coca-Cola bottling factories and there was one in Lexington.
Speaker 2:That like often the big competition for eppings, but eppings had lots of other ones, so like orange crush. Yeah right, yes, great, great yes great, uh like knee-high would they say eppings on the bottle? Yes, definitely yeah, but it would also.
Speaker 1:What's really neat is, back in the day, those old bottles would always say what bottling factory it would come from whereas now it's like you had no idea, like where your Coke was actually bottled. But back in the you would know not only it would be an Epping's bottle, but what branch of Epping's it would be. So it'll say Epping's Lexington.
Speaker 2:I wonder how many of those old bottles still exist.
Speaker 1:You can find them like crazy on eBay.
Speaker 2:And I have. Yeah, that sounds just like something you would do Well there's also a lot, you know, the peddler's mall on um, new circle.
Speaker 1:So you, there's people that specialize in like old bottles and like. So when I first started doing the research for eppings I'm kid you not there are so many niche interests, which probably doesn't shock anybody like whenever I research railroad stuff for the warehouse block, there is a rabbit hole of railroad enthusiasts who are obsessed with railroads, of course, and rail cars and all that I don't know why that like of any kind exactly, it was so surprising.
Speaker 1:Transportation I think there's a lot of like dudes out there that just love transportation, no doubt like. I assure you there's also a whole rabbit hole of people who love bottles and like old bottling equipment and old bottles, yeah, and I think it's great and there's a lot of like really cool. I've learned a lot from these, like rabbit holes of these enthusiasts.
Speaker 2:It's pretty great yeah.
Speaker 1:So arguably the most successful thing that epping's bottled that certainly rivaled the popularity of coke was a certain soft drink. It it is still around today, but I'm gonna have you guess what it is. They advertised it. It was pretty genius advertising In my opinion. They advertised it as the most perfect mixer to go with your alcoholic spirit of choice. But they also advertise in the same breath, in the same advertisements, as the perfect cure for a hangover, because it's super refreshing it's got a lemon right, no, or seven up, seven up seven up.
Speaker 1:Definitely predates sprite no kidding and that was really john g epping's is like bread and butter was the fact that he was the main distributor for the region for seven up okay, well, there you go yeah, and it's true, it is a great mixer yeah, it's fantastic it's a really great uh our grandma used to swear by crackers and 7up for a sick stomach and you and I are not the only family like the more I talk to other people about like well, I feel sick to my stomach.
Speaker 1:I better get a sprite or a 7up like I'm very well convinced that that comes from back in the day marketing the marketing of like the in the four, like 30s, 40s, 50s, of being like hey, this cures hangovers, this helps like an upset stomach let's be.
Speaker 2:Let's be real, it doesn't really kind of, you know, like a tums does, but it is refreshing.
Speaker 1:It is refreshing. Yeah, it helps your mind think it's getting over it right, because it's got that lemon lime marketing genius combo, absolutely so it's delicious the building itself. It was originally a roofing supply company called Perkins and Cranfall and they did a lot of like, like helping buildings get built, like roofing supplies, etc. Well, Epping's comes around in 1933.
Speaker 2:When was it built? Sorry, the actual building itself, so it's unknown. Really yeah, it's unknown Fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, kind of like as somebody who dabbles in a lot of like not 1800s no, no, no, not at all early 1900s maybe definitely early 1900s so probably like late 19 teens or early 1920s the first time we see it like actually on the map is 1924 okay, so only 10 years ago by for that roofing company.
Speaker 2:They failed pretty quickly.
Speaker 1:They failed pretty quickly. They according to documents like the city directories, it changed hands and changed names a few times, and so I think Epping saw an opportunity and was like Ooh, the warehouse block area would be a perfect spot to be able to set this up. It's on the railroad, like we've talked about about before. It has this long stretch across national avenue where they would line up all of the epping's trucks because, mind you, not only are they bottling things, they're distributing them too. So epping's trucks would show up, they would put you know different types of bottles and different trucks based on where it was being sent to, and then it was like a whole operation. They were regional operation, got you. So opening in 1933, at least in that location, was super strategic too, because it was right at the end of prohibition so for a while eppings was like definitely bottling something called falls city beer, oh, and then had to quit, of course, during prohibition.
Speaker 1:And then the second prohibition ended. He opens up this brand new branch on walton and starts bottling beer, obviously, and he and was pretty successful pretty quickly to be able to, like, add on to the building in a couple of different ways, both, um, like a wing to the left if you're looking at the building, and then a little bit on to the back as well, and from there it really grew. I mean, employment was at like 60 plus employees. At its peak had 135 mile distribution radius, so it really was like distributing all of its drinks in a good chunk of the region.
Speaker 2:For sure Supermarkets around the area had Epping's bottles.
Speaker 1:And they were so successful too that it was bringing other businesses to the warehouse block, like, oh, let's, let's. You know, epping's is obviously doing well, this is a really good spot to put some industry, so that's where they would continue to go there too. And then you know the architectural features of it it's a brick construction. It's got industrial design. It's really cool because it has these big open windows that used to be like garages essentially, and you can really see how they used to be garages when you go in there. And the way that they've rehabbed the building to be a restaurant now really takes advantage of all of that natural light, which I think is such a smart choice. Main entrance that says John G Epping, established in 1863. But that's almost a little misleading because while Epping's company was established in 1863 in Louisville, he didn't establish that particular site until 1933. So it's almost like you know.
Speaker 2:You're kind of yeah, it's kind of misleading to think that they established there. But you know, you got to give them their own legacy. Absolutely Let them revel in their 1860s origin.
Speaker 1:Totally Well. They're certainly not the first company to ever do that Exactly. They aren't the first or last. You see that all the time, plus who doesn't love a good legacy. Absolutely.
Speaker 2:And they're still Kentucky.
Speaker 1:They're in Louisville. Yeah, kentucky brand Full stop. I love that, no doubt about that, for sure.
Speaker 2:I want an Orange Crush right now. So bad, I know right.
Speaker 1:Well, that's not the only things that they bottled, though, too. Like I said Fall City Beer they did different types of club soda.
Speaker 2:They had a huge mural on the back of the building for Epping's Club Soda. I wonder what Fall City Beer tasted like, I don't know. Like a Pilsner it's probably really strong. Well, I want to know.
Speaker 1:Sounds strong, I want to know if the truck drivers were like drinking yeah for real On the job, because they could, yeah, or like how much 7-Up they would consume while they're just like driving around.
Speaker 1:You get hopped up on yeah straight from the tap you know, so the reason that I came to really, I mean, I've just always been obsessed with the warehouse block. I think the industrial heritage of that place is really fascinating, but I'm also right now getting a degree in historic preservation and through that we are required to learn a lot about the National Register of Historic Places and I thought what better property to try and get on? The First of all, I was shocked that Epping's wasn't already on the National Register of Historic Places.
Speaker 2:Hold on real fast. For people like myself and maybe the listeners, what are you talking about? As far as the National Register of Historic Places, what does that do?
Speaker 1:The National Register. So for all intents and purposes, and what we call in Historic Preservation, we just call it the Register. So from here on out I'll just say the Register. Perfect right on so you might know the register by the you might have shown up to like some old house or some old structure. It has a really beautiful, fairly large rectangular sign. It's like almost in bronze and it says something like this property is on the national register of historic places.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, of course, yeah so that's.
Speaker 1:That means that you've gotten your designation, like you have. Somebody has nominated that property and it's quite the process to get it nominated Not as difficult as some people would think, but it does require a lot of research and stuff. I'll get into that here in just a second. But really the goal that it's the nation's official list of buildings, structures, objects, sites, districts worthy of preservation. It was created by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. It actually runs through. Get this by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. It actually runs through. Get this the National Park Service. So for those who don't know, the National.
Speaker 1:Park Service is where historic preservation laws and everything we do is really housed through them. Really, yeah, it's really neat. And what's funny about it too is in my degree I have people who are getting a historic preservation degree because their goal is to go be a National Parks park ranger.
Speaker 2:So as you register for these historic places, is it through the National Parks Department? So it's through the Department of the Interior which is run through the National Parks Service as well, and as of right now.
Speaker 1:in 2025, over 95,000 properties nationwide are listed, which is representing more than 1.8 million resources 95,000 properties. Yes 95,000 properties.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's way more than I would have thought.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so-.
Speaker 2:For instance the UN, those sites there's like I don't know. There's not anywhere near that much and that's for the whole world.
Speaker 1:So I guess the question you probably go into this is like what qualifies? Yeah, that'd be the next question really good question the magic number is 50. So whatever years old, 50 years old, so from like the year of 2025, it like right now would be like anything that was built in 1975 or older could qualify.
Speaker 2:As a structure. Well, a structure, or or like a statue or a there are. What about a plot of?
Speaker 1:land, absolutely Objects, sites, districts. So there's different ways to go about nominating those. It's all in the actual like application itself. But, yes, there are different sites and entities that are included within that for sure. So, 50 years old or more, although there have been some like that's. That's not like a hard and fast rule, but it's the general thing that we like stick to in the field essentially. But it's also a matter of you have to fall into one of four criteria. Okay, hit.
Speaker 2:Hit me.
Speaker 1:So criteria A is an association with, like a significant historic event or patterns of events, like shows, like patterns and like a broader, our broader culture or history.
Speaker 2:That had significance in our history.
Speaker 1:Exactly, criterion B is association with a significant person. So very much like George Washington slept here.
Speaker 2:Right that kind of thing Right.
Speaker 1:Or you know Rosa Parks was, you know lived in this house, or whatever. Gotcha Criterion, c is like architecture. So it is a beautiful example of like an old Greek revival kind of.
Speaker 2:Thing.
Speaker 1:Right. It doesn't even have to be necessarily in phenomenal shape, it just needs to be a good example of essentially. Criterion D is potential to yield important information, so this mainly applies to like archeology sites like that.
Speaker 2:That's a really important one.
Speaker 1:So which one do you think Epping's falls under? Or which one do you think I wrote the nomination for?
Speaker 2:Certainly the structure, the building itself the cool.
Speaker 1:So I.
Speaker 2:And the significance of the role it played in early Lexington industrial, you know, during the 30s.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so. Criterion A is what I put it under, which is like it's a bottling plant. It shows the tastes of consumers. You know, in this like very critical time it was built in the early 1900s, yeah. Yeah, done deal, definitely in this very critical time. It was built in the early 1900s.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:Done deal.
Speaker 2:Definitely. How has it not already been registered? I don't know. It obviously has huge significance to Lexington history.
Speaker 1:It is a complete mystery and I am so glad to get to be a part of getting it on the register, you get to spearhead that Lucky devil you. I know, I know I could have put it under both criterion a and c, because, you're right, it is a really great example and it's it's a. It's a building that's in great shape, by the way, but it's a great example of early 20th century commercial architecture of that time. But that's extra work and I was like I'm just gonna pop it under you already got it.
Speaker 1:You already got it you only have to prove one of the criteria does it go before a board?
Speaker 2:yeah, so great question how many of those are shut down like well, yeah, daniel boone took a crap in this outhouse, but we're not going to signify it with a plaque to say it's a historical location. Right, you know?
Speaker 1:I'm saying like there's surely there's limits to this, totally so just along the reasoning for like why you would still want it on the register. So not only is it like a huge honor, there are major tax credits involved right so 20 of federal tax credit for income producing properties.
Speaker 1:But it's also could be like a residential thing too, especially if you want to like rehab it yourself, like, oh, I'm buying this house, that's on the national register, I want to put it on the register and and I want to fix it up. Then every state is different about how much they will also give you in tax credits too. So for the U? S it's 20%. Kentucky also gives you 20%.
Speaker 2:That's 40%.
Speaker 1:Yes exactly, so they match it, which is really cool.
Speaker 2:So why wouldn't companies like Epping's have already done this for themselves in general? Well, cause it's so. If it's so financially beneficial, why not? Why wouldn't everyone older than 50 years of a building with any kind of historical significance at all try for that registry?
Speaker 1:It only makes sense to try and do that, but just like anything else I think people are like don't know that it exists.
Speaker 2:Uninformed right. Or think that the application is maybe too daunting or whatever Like isn't half the houses in Chevy Chase from like the 70s or 60s? Oh, chevy, chase is 30s, 40s, 40s, yeah, like wouldn't every single one of those and and have a claim to his historical significance, at least with architecture keep in mind. There are entire districts that are on the national register of historic places got you. That makes more sense for sure.
Speaker 1:So there's a lot of misconceptions, though, surrounding the register. One of them is like well, the government can tell you what to do with it, what color to paint your house. That's completely yeah, I would have thought that for sure. No, completely false, like nobody can. One of them is like well, the government can tell you what to do with it, what color to paint your house.
Speaker 2:That's completely false. Yeah, I would have thought that for sure.
Speaker 1:No, completely false. Like nobody can take it away from you, nobody can tell you that you can't alter it in certain ways. Now what happens is, let's say, you get it on the register. It's a great example. I keep saying Greek revival, but whatever, like it's a great example of Greek revival, and then you decide to change it significantly.
Speaker 2:You're tired of Greek revival.
Speaker 1:You're tired of Greek revival. You want. You want that farmhouse. Look baby. Well if, if there were to be a task force to be charged with going out and checking your property, you could theoretically be off the national register. But between you and I, like that does not happen.
Speaker 2:There is no no, you and I like that does not happen.
Speaker 1:There's no. No, I mean they're defunding the parks as there's no resources for that little yeah so they they're not going to determine what you can and can't do with your house, so you can make any changes you want to a listed property. Uh, there's also this myth out there, like the government can seize the property at any time that it actually, like like semi, belongs to the government.
Speaker 2:Completely false, I totally have always in the back of my thought those things?
Speaker 1:no, truly no.
Speaker 2:Everyone does I'm a fairly informed person I know you are I thought it was like the government's, not your hoa, if you, if you are a historically significant, not at all. It's sort of like surely you can't do certain things, like the zoning of lexington wouldn't allow you to just chop down a home in chevy chase, oh no, and put up some ranch style, you know thing.
Speaker 1:That's completely new and sharp angles and yada yada.
Speaker 2:Then you're dealing with neighborhood associations, you're dealing with historic districts, with that, those entities have got you, but the feds aren't going to be doing anything about, because this registry, the national register is a way to inventory historic properties that's a perfect way to put it. Yeah, so this.
Speaker 1:It's not a's not a. Uh, you can do this and you can't do that, it's just more like let's have a running list of really important historic properties.
Speaker 2:It's not a bureaucracy, it's just a list. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And it's also really nice too, because there's certain times I'll go to look up a property because I've read about it in a book or whatever, and I'll, I'll, I'll get to read all about it because somebody in the 50s did an insane amount of research on it, and then you go and look for the property itself and it's gone.
Speaker 2:Like it's been raised yeah.
Speaker 1:But there's a record of that. Now you see what I mean. I see, yeah. And so it's a way to really keep track of these things that could be around forever and hopefully are.
Speaker 2:But probably won't be. But probably won't be. Honestly right, Probably won't be.
Speaker 1:But probably won't be Based on all sorts of different things. Yeah, so what you're talking about is like zoning ordinances.
Speaker 2:Right, historic districts and things like that, the here and now, exactly. But I see what you're saying. The registered account is more forward thinking, definitely. It's more for posterity's sake.
Speaker 1:And there's also different levels of significance in terms of like. There's a local level, there's a state level, there's a national level, and you indicate that on the actual application that you're filling out as well, which is really a cool part of it too.
Speaker 2:I'm sure the tax credit thing also plays a huge role in it. But that's really cool. I'm really glad we have it yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, and if you're somebody out there that's like, hmm, I feel like my house or my property or my business might qualify First of all, I'm sure it does in some way.
Speaker 2:If you're in Kentucky, yeah, oh, definitely Kentucky's old.
Speaker 1:There's a great state for it too we also have a really great Kentucky heritage council. It's like our, our local, like state historic preservation offices and so and they can really guide you through that process. But also there are historic preservation consultants out there that will just do the research for you and write the nomination for you for money.
Speaker 2:There's no such job, is there?
Speaker 1:There's 1000% of that job.
Speaker 2:And I would actually love to have that job. That sounds pretty fun. Yeah, it's super fun. Sounds made up Because all you would do is write.
Speaker 1:You just do super fun research.
Speaker 2:How fun would that be, it's so fun.
Speaker 1:I know Well, writing this was really fun for Eppings too, Like, no doubt. So who can nominate a property? Remember that can be property owners, historic societies, preservation consultants, as we've just said, local governments or just like interested citizens. You could nominate a property.
Speaker 2:Huh, even if I don't own it, even if you don't own it, nope Stake in the game.
Speaker 1:So the one little caveat with that. So, for example, I'm getting Eppings on. I'm dead set on getting Eppings on the register. I would also like to get the bar complex on Main.
Speaker 2:Street? Oh, that's a no brainer. How are they not on it?
Speaker 1:Exactly Because for a while it had changed ownerships and things in the seventies and eighties, and for a while the owner didn't want to be on the register, but has since changed their mind. I think that it'll be a really great addition to the register because it is, without a doubt, one of the most historic sites in the united states for lgbtq plus history.
Speaker 1:like bar none right, no pun intended yeah but at the same time, what can hold up a register nomination is if the property owner doesn't want to be on the register, in this case without airing any dirty laundry whatever.
Speaker 2:Why? Why would someone in this scenario for the bar complex choose not to be on the register? For the exact same reasons, for all of the misconceptions that we just talked about really so that person was under the impression assuming big brother's gonna be coming in and watching exactly, and then also, you know, especially with lgbtq plus history, it's like they've always had to like you know especially cautious 70s and 80s, absolutely. Fair enough.
Speaker 1:Be wildly cautious about like too much heat or too much attention.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But even lately, where, you know, I mean well, really lately, especially our political climate that's kind of changing and you know right, it's turbulent times, it's turbulent times, but even so, you know it's turbulent times, but even so you know it's better now to put a property like that on the register than it was, say, like 20 years ago. But the property owner, just like most of america, was under the impression of like well, you're gonna tell me what I can and can't do, I can't add on the way that I want to, or whatever. And so after being talked through that, then they realize like oh no, this is just a really great designation how many other owners like that are under the same impression currently, to this day?
Speaker 2:Thousands just in the city, maybe.
Speaker 1:I don't have a straight answer for you about that, but I would guess like nine out of ten.
Speaker 2:Yeah, from what you said, there's zero drawbacks, right? It only helps America to have these places on the registry for posterity's sake and it helps financially a little bit for those business owners. Totally To educate them on. That is a huge boon for society.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:What a shame that they're misinformed when they don't have to be. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Another really great resource while we're talking about it. Very good point, brother, but another really good resource.
Speaker 2:Thanks. Is when I let you get a word in edgewise is the Bluegrass Trust, so we talked about the bluegrass trust before as well.
Speaker 1:They have phenomenal. So the bluegrass trust is a non-profit organization here in lexington dedicated to historic preservation in central kentucky and they have phenomenal resources on this. In fact, they just had last week and they did it virtually you can easily get the link a way to walk you through how to go about getting tax credits and tax. It was like like a tax incentive, like workshop, and so there's a lot of well, there we go yeah. A lot of really great resources out there having to do with that for sure.
Speaker 2:Good, I'm very glad.
Speaker 1:So the nomination process, like what I'm going through right now with Eppings, is super fun writing it, by the way, there's the nerdy research phase, which is the beginning of it, right? So this is me holed up in the Kentucky room of the public library local archives. You have to go and do deed research at the county clerk's office. I've made friends there. Obviously Love the deed books.
Speaker 2:Here comes that redhead. Yeah, now I'm like hey kids, what does she want? Now Kind of the microfilm. What's that stupid Microfilm? What's that? That's stupid. Microfiche, Microfiche.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, really, newspaperscom is essentially my very best friend, and if you don't have a subscription you're missing out, because it's access to literally every newspaper that has ever been printed ever.
Speaker 2:And it's all scanned into a website now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Uh-huh, it's called newspaperscom.
Speaker 2:And I love the future.
Speaker 1:I love it too. I love it too. It's $80 a year for the whole year and you basically have access to every newspaper ever.
Speaker 2:If you're a journalist or like history at all, how can you not have that?
Speaker 1:And so that was instrumental to this research for sure. That's how I found out how cool Eppings was, which, by the way, john G Eppings was a really cool guy. They talked a lot in the Herald and the Leader about the fact that he was really involved in like amateur sports. So he would put a good chunk of his earnings towards like youth sports programs and he met like Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth and he would pull both of them in on like Epping's advertisements. He was like super into baseball.
Speaker 2:Babe Ruth loves 7-Up. Yeah, exactly yeah.
Speaker 1:It makes him hit even better, and blah, blah, blah, yep. So that was really fun too.
Speaker 2:How long is that application? Like all the work you've done. How big is the application process? Like 10 pages, 20 pages, one page.
Speaker 1:No, no, so definitely 20 or more.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:But a good chunk of them is you're doing. You're taking pictures of the property on all you know different sides of it. So a giant chunk of it is the architectural description, where you're having to write about each and every side of the building, not only like what condition it's in, but also like what changes it's most likely gone through over the years. You're using a lot of like historic maps to kind of like show those changes. We use a lot of sandborne maps for that. And then the other giant chunk which is my favorite is the statement of significance. So that's all the nerdy history.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, like that's a fun bit. Yeah, yeah, oh for sure it's like.
Speaker 1:Well, this is who eppings was and these are all the things.
Speaker 2:This is why you should care.
Speaker 1:Dang yeah this is why you should care exactly. So both of those chunks take up a good chunk of the application, for sure, but all in all they're really fun to write like, if you like history they're fun.
Speaker 2:Let me get one more question though sure so like is for the average. Like layman um, could they, could the owner of a historically cool place, uh, put their own application, or would they need to hire someone like you?
Speaker 1:oh heck, no very well versed in it you can 100. So there are a million resources through the national Parks website. That's going to lead you through the register process. There's handbooks on it. You don't need a pseudo-lawyer type thing or a very experienced historical preservation person, you absolutely don't you download the template and you just start typing your stuff in and there's obviously 95,000 examples out there.
Speaker 2:Well, good, there's no excuse not to give it a shot, then, right.
Speaker 1:Exactly. I used an example from Atlanta. There was this really cool bottling factory there that did a great job of like going in order of like how to talk about a bottling factory. So there's like, whatever you're trying to get on the register, there's something else out there, kind of like that on the register and you can use that to really help you through that process, gotcha.
Speaker 1:And so what's really nice too, especially in the state of kentucky, our state historic preservation officer is a wealth of knowledge and you can just email him directly, like what I've done is I've sent him my first draft of the eppings nomination and he has sent me back feedback and then we're going to like meet on it, and then I just I fix it right the way that he wants me to.
Speaker 1:And then we're going to like meet on it, and then I just I fix it right the way that he wants me to. And then the review process goes like this so then it goes to the state historic preservation, like the Kentucky heritage count. It's like a committee, and on that committee is historic preservationists, architects, historic architect types, and they review it and they say either like yay or nay. And I even, even when they say nay, all they mean is like you need to fix this, this and this because we want you to look good when it goes to washington dc. So then you just you, can you go? I mean like you can try over and over and over to get in.
Speaker 1:It's not like it's like one and done, or something like that but for the most part people are pretty well prepared and they pass most of what they see then. Then it goes to Washington DC for the national park service review and then they officially like approve it, and then you get your plaque and then you're on the register. So it's kind of neat.
Speaker 2:Gotcha yeah. So so the onus is on the person, not the government.
Speaker 1:Oh, for sure.
Speaker 2:For some reason in my head, as I thought about this before we started this, I was like the government comes in and decides no, it's really about you putting in the work to get your place historically shown as significant Correct.
Speaker 1:Say that again. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:Like for some reason I thought like the government would come in and say no this place is historically significant.
Speaker 1:We're deciding that.
Speaker 2:Like DC. I mean that's a very obvious statement there, but it's to the average person. I myself, Mike, that might not be so obvious. Yeah, I thought big brother would come in and say this place is historic and you don't have any say about it.
Speaker 1:But no, it's really the onus is on you to go show the government how it's historic, most definitely Well, and what I noticed, a lot cause. So I've been to at least two or three different review boards. They're held in Frankfurt, at the Public Library in Frankfurt, and what I've noticed about it is that some people go up there and they are full-blown historic preservation consultants that work for architecture firms, that work for developers, essentially Because it's in the developer's best interest to be like let's get this on the register so we can get all the tax credits before we redevelop it, in whatever area.
Speaker 2:Very smart choices they're very in tune to that, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Whereas, like your average, you know like me when I go, I'm just working for me.
Speaker 2:I'm just working because I love it. You just like Eppings, I just like Eppings and I like the bar call and I like Lexington Kentucky. So I'll be like a fish out of water, but I don't care. Yeah, yeah, rip me apart, no worries, we need, we need people like you there, though. Yeah, big time, I think you. It can't be about just just you know, development and dollars absolutely absolutely so.
Speaker 1:Back to epping's itself, though right post epping's family ownership. Epping's dies in the early 1960s. There's a sale to pepsi cola in 1967. The later uses of the building were kind of went in between a lot of these different like. It tried to continue to be a bottling factory because the sale of the building also included the sale of the equipment. So it was kind of like it was in pepsi colas or coca-cola's best interest to be like yeah, heck, yeah, let's use that as another spot to be able to bottle. But it in the early 1980s it kind of petered out and so it went through various iterations of like. At one point it was like storage for certain stuff and then before the walkers took it over in the early 2000s or maybe like during that time period, it was like furniture restoration. So there was a time chad walker told me once that like you would walk by and he was like it was the smell of like it's not turpentine. What is it Like? Oils and stuff to like do furniture restoration?
Speaker 1:or whatever it was like so strong you could light a match and like the whole the whole like side of that building could have gone up, which is pretty interesting. But it was a smart building to do that in because you had these giant garage doors that you could lift and whatnot so.
Speaker 2:It was a smart building to do that in, because you had these giant garage doors that you could lift and whatnot. It's not sandwiched between other buildings too. It's kind of off on its own a little bit, yeah for sure.
Speaker 1:But Chad also told me the building was rough when we got it. Obviously Epping's kept it up really nice, but that time between late 70s, early 80s to 2000, it had been many different A little dilapidated a little bit, yeah, and a lot of like different industry type thing.
Speaker 1:You know, you've got probably oil from cars, you've got oils from furniture restoration. They were just painting stuff directly on the concrete floors and stuff so like it was rough, and so to walk into epping's now how beautiful of a restaurant it is is really a testament to like beautiful adaptive reuse for sure fair enough because it is a gorgeous.
Speaker 2:Bravo to the who the walkers. Yeah, the walker, chad Walker, of course, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, bravo to him there. Yeah for sure, keeping that place alive.
Speaker 1:I know what's really neat about it. What I really love about Eppings, too, is the fact that it is it went through prohibition right, it had to stop bottling and all of that. It opened up right after Prohibition so it could start. But Epping's to this day, I think, has one of the best happy hours, kind of like almost paying homage to that whole Prohibition thing. One of the best happy hours in Lexington, kentucky. It is a $5, old fashioned, unheard of it's true In the city of. Lexington, Kentucky.
Speaker 2:Everyone loves a good old fashioned.
Speaker 1:It's so good Period.
Speaker 2:The problem is is, I'll think to myself like well, I have a $20 bill and then two hours later I'm wasted because I had four old fashions. It's terrible. I love it. I know I'm ashamed to say I've never been in what. Yeah, I've been to the warehouse a few times, but oh, I'll take you brother. Yeah, take me, I want to hear more old-fashioned happy hour. You talk?
Speaker 1:about. It's fantastic it's. It's light and bright and airy, but it's also some of the best food in lexington really yeah well, if it's the same guy that does coals yeah, yeah, oh, no, that's coal coals is so freaking good. Yes, margaret I can't leave, even to coals and not eppings.
Speaker 2:I know coals are some of the best food in town.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it's delicious, that's just a fact so imagine coals, but in a larger environment and where it's not it's.
Speaker 1:It's that nice coals is in an old house right, yeah oh, it's for sure that nice coals is nice but imagine like a beautiful, like, almost like marble bar going down the middle, and then there's two sides to it, which is really fun. There's like sort of the more like traditional side of it, on the epping's side, but the main dining room side and then there's the other side, which is called Poppy and Olive, which is a really cute story. I think I read somewhere and I'm going to ask Cole about this next week Poppy and Olive are named that way because he has two kids.
Speaker 2:What are their kids' names? No, no, it's even better than that. His kids are not named Poppy and Olive.
Speaker 1:It's how big his kids were in utero whenever they found out that they were pregnant oh so his first one, I think, was about the size of a poppy seed when they found out and then another one was the size of an olive, which is like the cutest story don't you love that I'm? Definitely gonna ask him about that, which is fun too, because he obviously deals with a lot of ingredients, so it works in so many different ways fair enough.
Speaker 2:You know what else you need. To ask cole while you're at it okay, what is why is it called epping's on east side?
Speaker 1:if it's on walton avenue, I don't get it fantastic question, so I will ask him that I'll send that directly from you, jonathan okay, who he'll be so. He'll be so interested yeah, I think that I know the actual answer to this because okay, the restaurant name refers to the broader neighborhood at the time.
Speaker 1:So this area of Lexington is known as like the East End or East Side, so all the way down going to like Winchester Pike and all of that. That was like the East Side and, as we talked about in our last episode, the warehouse block was considered like outside the city limits for the longest time because it was East of downtown. So the restaurant owners. I think we're really wanting to honor the building's history by keeping the Epping name while also connecting it to the neighborhood context, essentially Like. It's a nice example of how adaptive reuse can maintain historical connections while still creating new identities. Right Plus Epping's on Walton just doesn't have.
Speaker 2:Didn't roll all the time. Yeah, it doesn't have the same read.
Speaker 1:I like alliteration, like this guy, the alliteration is perfect and Epping's on Eastside, I think was a fantastic Plus. Then he has Coles on Main and he has Epping's on Eastside, so Say what you want.
Speaker 2:The guy knows how to name things.
Speaker 1:I know about interviewing him because, like he's just such a cool, I mean we've been texting and he's like a great nice guy.
Speaker 2:Via text he'll have cool things to say. I know there's no doubt I'm excited.
Speaker 1:Yeah, be stoked well, and on top of that, as just a quick little side note with that, what's really fun is that he has links to that area for a very long time. His parents actually owned a market called the aremus market right there on walton avenue in the 1970s, so I think it's really neat. He's like going back to his roots in the sense that, like you know, his parents owned something in warehouse block and now he does too, which is really cool.
Speaker 2:Well, this has been so informative. Sis, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:Thank you for indulging me and letting me talk about the National Register Anytime, because it actually is super important to some people.
Speaker 2:It is Anytime, because it actually is super important to some people.
Speaker 1:It is, and there are.
Speaker 2:It could be important to a lot more people if they gave it some thought honestly, Especially in this state, but currently it's a really important thing to be able to talk about, to be informed about.
Speaker 1:And just to get the word out about those common misconceptions.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Like. You can change your property. You can improve your property. You can add a new roof to your property. Whatever property, you can add a new roof to your whatever. Like the government doesn't own it.
Speaker 2:You can paint it whatever you like don't be afraid of the national, don't be afraid of the register like it's there is just an inventory.
Speaker 1:It's there is like almost like an honor roll, like it's such an honor to be on it and you get more than you get. I mean there's research involved, but that's just fun and for the huge nerd historical like yourself.
Speaker 2:You know it's for posterity's sake. Please, please, do it for the nerds in our country that love history.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Good way to put it. Thank you, brother, and thanks again for being on this Again. You're no longer allowed on the Inside the Block podcast. You have to go back to the Lexington podcast, where you belong.
Speaker 2:Where all the ghouls and goblins live.
Speaker 1:Next episode we will be back and I will be interviewing Cole Arimas Super excited about that and then, beyond that, we will be continuing to interview amazing business owners in the Warehouse Blog.
Speaker 2:Thanks, again, brother See you soon.