Main Street building has ‘Lively’ new storefront

The facelift is almost complete. Perhaps the ugliest building on Main Street has been transformed to a life-like storefront that adds charm to downtown instead of serving as an eyesore.

‘My kids have worked hard on this,’ said Warren County teacher and freelance artist Carol Neal referring to the almost finished Lively Building. ‘We started painting when the temperatures were around 100 degrees. They did most of the work and they worked really hard. I just added some touches here and there.’

Before the transformation began, the plywood front of the building was easily the first choice for most unsightly storefront in the area, at least from the perspective of other downtown businesses. Several complaints were made to the Historic Zoning Commission regarding the building’s front but nothing could be done.

Now, the paint job has given the building new life.

‘While we have been here painting, people stop and ask us if it is open,’ said Shanda Paige Fergeson, who has been taking painting lessons for three years and hopes to attend art school after graduating from high school. ‘We have had people try and walk in. When we tell them what we are doing, they make suggestions regarding what more we can add. It has been a lot of fun.’

Fergeson, thanks to her brother who modeled, and Jimmy Haley, who had a portrait of W. S. ‘Dad’ Lively, was able to put him back where he belongs. To the right of the entrance is a life-size portrait of Lively holding a camera and looking over the street.

Lively was born in McMinnville on Nov. 19, 1855 and died Oct. 26, 1944. During his lifetime, he became a world famous photographer. In 1904, he began the Southern School of Photography in McMinnville with his friend W. G. McFadden. The very first Master of Photography Degree was awarded to him in 1936.

In the Lively & Co. sign, the company stands for those who had a hand in transforming the building. Those people include Alex Bell, Shelby Cantrell, Shanda Fergeson, Mallory Foster, Jared Neal, Jesse Robinson, Kaylee Smith, Bruce Atnip, Haley, Diane Knowles and Neal.

The building is currently for sale. When the building is sold, Haley hopes to preserve the front because of all the students’ hard work and dedication.