{"id":1506,"date":"2014-11-06T23:00:47","date_gmt":"2014-11-07T04:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/?p=1506"},"modified":"2014-11-06T23:00:47","modified_gmt":"2014-11-07T04:00:47","slug":"centre-to-move-2000-year-old-hut-to-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/2014\/11\/06\/centre-to-move-2000-year-old-hut-to-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Centre to move 2,000-Year-Old Hut to Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

By GRAY WHITSETT –\u00a0OPINIONS SECTION EDITOR<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Being an institution that is rapidly approaching its bicentennial, Centre College is no stranger to the annals of American history. Home to numerous buildings that were built well before the turn of the twentieth century, and supplemented by Danville\u2019s awareness of and concern for historical preservation, the Kentucky college prides itself on integrating old residences, repurposing original facilities, and weaving a profound legacy of antiquity throughout the campus experience. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made an effort to work with the citizens of Danville to represent and honor the heritage of the \u2018City of the Firsts,\u2019\u201d Director of Facilities Management Wayne King said. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Rubeus Hagrid of Centre College, King pointed to several ready examples of preservation. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral current residential facilities trace their roots back to well over a century,\u201d King said. \u201cThe Ruby Cheek House was built circa 1860 and the Breeze House dates back to the 1890s. Even now we\u2019re finalizing the plans to move the Fifth Street house to Greek Park.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Considering the costs associated with renovating aged structures, this record is commendable. But now the college has plans to take this habit to new heights.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In a recent press release, President John Roush confirmed rumors of a bold addition to the picturesque campus\u2013the addition of a Native American hut dating back to the beginning of the Common Era. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Determined to be at least 2,000 years old, the Paleoamerican eight-by-eight foot structure will be situated directly behind Nevin Hall in the green space between the dorms and Beatty Avenue. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe hut serves a dual purpose,\u201d Director of Student Life and Housing Ann Young said. \u201cOn the one hand, we\u2019re assisting Danville in its obsessive mission to protect anything over a decade old, and on the other we\u2019re taking another step to address our housing issues.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As Young explained, the hut will serve as a single-residence for which students can apply to live in during the regular housing process. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, due to the fact that the hut is almost as old as Jesus Christ, there won\u2019t be any heating, plumbing, or running water,\u201d Young explained, \u201cbut the erratic temperature changes and irregular shower warmth shouldn\u2019t be too out of the ordinary.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Young also said the administration was already looking into an awkward plaque desperately rationalizing this poor decision, similar to the Lincoln addition. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But some aren\u2019t happy with the move. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really do believe in the mission of historical awareness,\u201d Wayne King said, \u201cbut you reach a point where it\u2019s just not worth it. These decisions become problems on my desk, and that\u2019s a lot of extra work without much gain.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It did seem rather odd to pump so many resources into something with such few benefits. After some digging, it was clear that this wasn\u2019t strictly up to Centre.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something we\u2019re really excited about,\u201d Chairman of the Danville Architectural Heritage Board Les Letton said. As head of Danville\u2019s premier governmental agency, the AHB exists \u201cto protect historic areas and buildings,\u201d and is challenged in supremacy only by the Danville Cemetery Committee. It is also worth noting that the AHB meets more often than the Danville Human Rights Commission and has more members than the Danville Ethics Board.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis hut is dear to Danville tradition,\u201d Chairman Letton continued. \u201cIt\u2019s where the first pre-Columbian constitution was signed, and we\u2019re pretty sure one of Daniel Boone\u2019s ancestors camped near it after crossing the Land Bridge. To tear it down would be to sever a portion of our history with which the community identifies.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, with one-fourth of one percent of Danville\u2019s citizens identifying as Native American, the hut\u2019s destruction would anger several tens of people. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But this explanation seemed shaky at best, and Chairman Letton felt obliged to clarify.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, the AHB used to be the laughing stock of the Danville political community. The Sister Cities Committee always got more funding and the Beautification Committee got all the publicity. And don\u2019t even get me started on the Streetscape guys. I brought us back from that. I restored our great committee.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the story only felt half complete. That is, until a surprise interviewee stepped forward.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy only condition is that you can\u2019t use my name,\u201d Mayor of Danville Bernie Hunstad said. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A veteran of small town politics, Mayor Hunstad is ending his term this year, and felt it was time to speak about Chairman Letton and the AHB. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe AHB started out as something noble, seeking to forward a meaningful goal. But now\u2026well, Letton\u2019s let the power go to his head. He\u2019s got this plan to collectivize all of the historic homes in the city and move large portions of the population there. He\u2019s got to be stopped.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mayor Hunstad looked visibly ill. \u201cI tried to come forward earlier, but my family and I live in an old plantation-style home and I feared for our lives.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, Centre still plans to move forward with the project, despite, or perhaps as a result of, Danville politicking.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for a change of leadership,\u201d Chairman Letton said. \u201cIt\u2019s time for a historic revolution, and it might make some people uncomfortable, but that\u2019s the nature of it\u2013a revolution is not a dinner party.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: The previous article is from the CentOnion series, a satirical publication focused on parodying various subjects unique to Centre College\u2019s campus. <\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As such, all content within this article is purely fictional and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Cento or Centre College.<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In addition all quotations used in this article are purely fictional and do not necessarily reflect the views of the individuals quoted. <\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By GRAY WHITSETT –\u00a0OPINIONS SECTION EDITOR Being an institution that is rapidly approaching its bicentennial, Centre College is no stranger to the annals of American history. Home to numerous buildings that were built well before the turn of the twentieth century, and supplemented by Danville\u2019s awareness of and concern for historical preservation, the Kentucky college […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,10],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-1506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-leisure","category-centonion","category-opinions","tag-centonion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1506\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}