Western Auto Building - Insider Tour

Join us on a tour of the old Western Auto building located in downtown Appalachia, Virginia. As you will see, this beautiful building continues to surprise us with its secrets.

[@appalachianwoman561]

Love to see locals return or just take pride in the area they grew up in and restore/build things. This is so much better than tearing these places down, because these stores and apartments were the lifeblood of what made Appalachia Appalachia. I'm a neighbor down in Lee Co but remember many times when going with my parents to visit my aunt and uncle in Wise going thru there on the old road and also some of the shops that were once there. I wish you guys the best of luck and success in all you do, you'll go far because you've got your heart in it!

[@kathykleineick]

I lived in that same apartment you did back in 1978. It looks so much smaller now. The carpet and appliances were all very 70s colors...harvest Gold, orange, avocado greens, and browns. I may have a few pictures from the time I was there. I'll share if I can find them.

[@lostpony4885]

Wow

[@lostpony4885]

Next time shut off all the breakers before ordering power

[@InertiaCreeps]

14:26 I’m not so hot on your camera person. Both this video and the Peake Building video feel claustrophobic. It looks like the video is zoomed in the whole time. The framing is WAY too tight. We want to see *The Buildings* not just the back of your head. Also, if the person speaking points something out (like the carpet in the closet or in the Peake Building the many views out of windows) *THEN SHOW WHAT IS BEING POINTED OUT* it is perpetually frustrating to have the gal giving the tour point things out, only to run off immediately afterwords leaving the camera person no chance to show what you were just pointing out! I want to see the stupid carpet and now I never will! 😑

[@MyUrbanExplorationOnline]

Hey, I just finished watching this, and your 41 minute long The Peake Building video. I really enjoyed both videos. Don't stop providing KZbin content where ever you can. I would love to see more.

[@tobysettle8595]

Hands down, the scariest wiring situation I've ever seen!! Very cool building, love what you guys are doing!

[@richardbrobeck2384]

For sure !! I think Red Green wired that place !

[@tobysettle8595]

@@richardbrobeck2384 Exactly! Remember, as Red says "if women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!"

[@terryfromsouthcarolina4601]

A lot of the old Western Auto stores had room in the basement to service cars. Not allowed by code now from what I understand. I grew up in middle Ohio and a lot of your furniture and clothing stores had two floors. The disabilities act put a lot of these second floor retail spaces on the extinction list as the buildings just weren't designed to hold an elevator. The worst thing about these old buildings is the flat roofs. As the years go by they sag from their own weight and don't drain properly. Water creeps in and it freezes pushing things apart compounding the problem. The big expense for a person renovating is getting the roof tight and dry. I grew up in these old buildings, my dad belonged to the local gas company and I often accompanied him on his calls when school was out or weekends. We found a lot of cool old stuff in the forgotten areas of these old buildings. Thanks for sharing! Cheers Terry

[@wolflover3405]

You should have a huge yard sale and sale old things you find in these buildings!!❤❤❤

[@ClowderOf3]

Barely 1k subs and someone is already negative. I hope you guys do well, and I've subscribed to watch your progress. Most people aren't jerks, so continue what you're doing. Good luck.

[@AppalachianRisingVentures]

Thank you!

[@mugwump242]

Those dark, exterior "tiles" look like what was known as Vitrolite (generically called pigmented structural glass). Vitrolite was one of many brand names but eventually came to mean the product generally, across all brands/makers (like Kleenex is for tissues). It was widespread in architecture during the late 1930s, '40s, and maybe into the early '50s too. During that period, a popular use of the product was to veneer over already-existing, old-fashioned style facades with the panels. The thinking was that the Vitrolite made an older, masonry building look more sleek and "modern." Commonly, examples will be seen where only the ground floor, "business front" of a multi-level building was re-styled. It looks like that is the story with your Western Auto Building. In your case, is the Vitrolite old and something some might consider to be a historic feature? Yes. Does it date back to the building's original construction? Based on all appearances, I would surmise no. So, whether you keep it or not will probably hinge on 1) your assessment of the material's condition and 2) whether you want to do a purist's restoration, where you take the structure back to its original look, or an interpretive restoration which preserves significant, merit-worthy alterations that happened over the building's years and helps to tell the structure's "story." Another big consideration will surely be, if the Vitrolite panels are removed, in what condition is the finish of the original brick behind them. I don't know what was used to fasten the panels onto walls or if the process was destructive. On another note, I love what you guys are doing. Thanks for sharing!

[@pewpewha]

This is very cool. I wish the camera person was more fluid. We missed a lot of interesting things due to camera work.

[@markschmadeke4018]

"Medallion" may be the word you're looking for for the center ceiling panel on the center floor. The second floor may have been used as a community room for social events. Dances, movies, etc. Thanks for sharing!

[@lauries6517]

This makes me want to visit and help you with demo!

[@davidbandler]

Problem with retrofitted apartments in those old buildings, is that someone can just climb up into the drop ceiling and right over your front door and right down into your apartment. There's also nothing to stop fire from spreading from one unit to the other in the void up in that original ceiling space. You might also want to make sure the left behind space heater hidden in the ceiling in the original first floor is disconnected.

[@SpencerFloyd-c8r]

I use stay come stay in these apartments when I was little my aunt and uncle live there my aunt lived in the 2 bed room and my uncle lived in the first I love see life being put back into Appalachia

[@myrahelm2737]

Just found your channel, very excited to follow along as you restore this building, Good Luck

[@nole8923]

Any update on the Peake building?

[@AppalachianRisingVentures]

Still working on cleaning out contents and getting it ready for engineers and architects to come in and advise!

@ 9:12 All that old furniture even in its bad condition is worth money, there are collectors who buy old furniture and restore it... its worth saving and selling on marketplaces and you'd be surprised ..heck giving it away to people who will restore it is better than it going to the dump ... I have several old junk pieces of furniture and chairs that I have restored over the years and they are centerpieces and now very sought after ... those curved back wing back chairs I see are an example of what you have

[@InertiaCreeps]

09:48 🤣😂🤣😂🤣 yep. Band person here. That was a cheeky joke!

[@dalesmith112]

I worked at the Western Auto in Minden, LA for 20+ years. It's still open today as A.J. Price Inc. The building they're in was done the same way as this one. False ceiling that were put in with all the old metal ceiling tiles, metal cove moulding, lights etc just left in place. 😢

[@RobPlotz-t6i]

Just saw your Peake Building video, so awesome. Two observations about your Western Auto property. First, I think you are totally right that it’s metal ceiling points toward its being a former 2-floor retailer. I think given its age it may have been a Woolworth’s or similar 5 & dome store. The clothing mannequins may be a remnant of that… also any food counters or diner stools left behind, as those department stores often had kitchens and lunch counters. Second, looking at the silhouette of that building with the descending brickwork line along the roof, it makes me wonder if the structure was successively built in 3 sections over time. Here in NY city you will often see retailers and tenement apartments cobbled together as they expand down their lots or down the block. Macy’s Herald Square is 3 buildings successively added over about 30 years as the Strauses were able to acquire the properties of their neighbors between Broadway and 7th Avenue. Does your area have a museum with microfilm of 1920s era newspapers that may have been advertising these businesses as they were built? Might give you some clues about what you’re working on. Bravo to you for having a dream and following it!

[@InertiaCreeps]

01:41 Wait… there was an office for a BEHEMOTH corporate company (Comcast) that had wood paneled walls, an electric stove, and was down the hall from people’s apartments? What kind of madness is Appalachia up to?! 🤪🥴🤣

Clicked on this video due to its title thinking this was the Western Auto building in Kansas City Mo. 😅 but its all good and this was a fun video

[@1ajs]

neat u bought ur first apartment

[@funnythingswedoallthetime]

In your building I think there has been some unlicensed handy man so called electricians working on it.

[@SandiMacDougall]

In the basement. That back area. I wonder if it was for bootlegging?

[@AppalachianRisingVentures]

You never know! Could have been. Wouldn’t be the first hidden operation in town! 😂

[@jacobrosenberg8423]

Gut and rebuild - Use the ceiling in the apartments if you want them.

[@WLM596]

Hardware stores and dry goods stores used to be 2 floors of retail space and a lot would have skylights.

[@jvahioguy7068]

There still is a Western Auto hardware store, near me, in Gretna. Va. It has the signage and advertises as such.

[@Hobotraveler82]

I grew up on Western Autos. My dad worked for them in the 70's when he got out of high school. The store was located in South Kansas City Missouri. So awesome to see an old location that wasnt in Missouri. 😊

[@amyzucker3186]

I grew up in a Western Auto in KY.

[@Hobotraveler82]

@@amyzucker3186 That is so cool.

[@neenmach]

You’ve got some great “junk” in that basement.

[@RobynNBMoncton]

Cool videos but you say, “As you can see.” A lot in your videos.

[@ritahogan3860]

Many older buildings had retail on first and sometimes 2nd floor and the top floor was used by the Masons or other organizations for meetings and parties. Maybe even dances and showing movies. How can you guys afford to do all this?

[@AppalachianRisingVentures]

We will try to do a follow up video to talk about how we acquired the buildings and our plans.

[@franswey2]

Have you been able to get information from Western Auto? They probably had files on all their buildings.

[@amyzucker3186]

Western Auto had company and associate stores. This store may have been associate. Find the former storekeeper. Blessings upon Appalachian Rising Ventures!

[@Cleanbob503]

Maybe a good still spot how close is this to the last location

[@AppalachianRisingVentures]

Maybe on a future video we can do a tour of that part of Main Street.

[@Eric-Indiana]

It's hard to tell for sure but the glass tiles on the front look like Vitrolite. Demand for that product started to dwindle around 1947. It was produced up to the mid-50s but in very small amounts. Newer cheaper ways of making glass tile had been invented end Vitrolite was more expensive because it cost more to produce. So unless someone had a small stock of it it probably wasn't put on in the 60s or 70s. I don't know the exact age of the building, but I almost guarantee it was put on later. The town I live in has at least one building on the old main commercial Street downtown that's been faced in the product, and an old movie theater currently under renovation nearby is also faced with it. The Vitrolite was not original to either building but part of later remodels. If you want to see what I'm talking about, look up The Crump theater in Columbus, Indiana and you can see if what I'm talking about is what is on the front of the building. 🙂

[@kathykeener3523]

Thanks! This is fascinating and brings back memories of cleaning out our business. Those are not always pleasant, but, the effort is worth it.

[@lostpony4885]

Wow super nostalgic. Those upstairs appts if you keep em just give them.back those tall ceilings make em pop.

[@robertmoore254]

Hi,I love what you and John are doing with your home town. How many buildings do you and John own now? Thanks

[@seesea-sv3xw]

The alcove in the back of the basement may have been for a well water sump.

[@iangalyer]

am of to whatch all your vlogs see what it well be like when it fishing ian grimsby uk

[@1ajs]

that tile might be 30's -50's 60's 70's they didnt use that stuff

[@larryfeeks6620]

That's a very interesting building!

[@bruceedwards2069]

THANKS FOR DOING THIS

[@brianprestwich4440]

Kiwi shine was a shoe polish i uk

[@ffoster477]

Interesting 👍❤

[@biscottiluigi711]

I am not sure what you are doing, but I just found this by accident.However,I love the idea of someone restoring these old buildings.All across our country,there are abandoned buildings that have seen much better days and it is so sad.Many of them were built well with interesting details and craftsmanship.I love the idea of restoration rather than destruction.I realize that some can't be saved,but hats off to anyone who takes on such a project.I love that you care,I wish you all the best.

[@AppalachianRisingVentures]

Thank you!

[@keithmosseyklr650]