Mel’s on Madison receives grant for exterior renovations of historic building

Renovations to the exterior of the Joe Knight building in Downtown Lebanon will begin this month and will be funded by a $50,000 federal grant, owners Robert and Melissa Walker said. They planned for this renovation to be the first of several phases for the historic building, which now houses Mel’s on Madison. “It is one of the iconic buildings in town,” Robert Walker said. “We’re proud to own it and proud to get the community’s support on something like this.” The Walkers bought the building in 2021 with the hopes of renovating the building. The roof remains the most significant barrier to renovating the interior. Downtown Director Sarah Angst helped the pair to begin the year-long process to become approved for the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant. Robert Walker said the grant, which is a reimbursement grant with a 10 percent matching requirement, is only available to buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The grant was facilitated by Missouri Main Street Connection and distributed by the National Parks Service. The approval process, at the end of which only 13 Missouri applications were approved, involved meetings, documentation of the existing structure, consulting and a significant amount of paperwork. Once approved, the grant recipients must follow the standards set out by the Secretary of the Interior. The Walkers thanked Downtown Lebanon, Heritage Bank, and Missouri Main Street Connection for their help on the project. A Downtown Lebanon press release said that exterior renovations will include the roof replacement, window and glass block repair. The Walkers will contribute the matching portion of the grant by replacing the exterior’s awning. For more on this story, see Wednesday's LCR.