Vicksburg native Chris Moore, responsible for a multi-million-dollar restoration of the former Lee paper mill, is restoring three adjoining buildings on Vicksburg’s Main Street.
Construction crews are expected to begin the work at 106, 108 and 110 South Main in coming weeks. Exterior renovation will last through the summer. Interior renovations will continue over the next 12 to 24 months.
Vicksburg-based Frederick Construction serves as general contractor. HopkinsBurns Design Studio of Ann Arbor serves as the historic architect. Both are longtime collaborators with Moore. Eckert Wordell of Kalamazoo serves as the architect for interior renovations.
In 2022, Moore and his local staff collaborated with the village and historical consultant Cheri Szcodronski to place hundreds of commercial and residential properties on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation allows downtown developers to pursue tax credits for their projects.
Restoration of the three buildings follows Moore’s most recent endeavor to fully restore nearby buildings on Prairie Street into the popular Mackenzies Bakery and Prairie Ronde Artist Residency. These buildings have been designated on the National Register of Historic Places.
Moore is proud of the National Register designation. In the 1980s, his mother, the late Sue Moore, owned a nearby building that was eventually sold and torn down to make room for a parking lot. Witnessing the loss of a historically significant building inspired Moore to save as many buildings as possible.
“I strongly believe that small towns are going to rebound and be highly desired places to live and socialize in the future,” said Chris Moore. “A strong factor in bringing business and people back to ‘Main Street’ will be the charm and aesthetic appeal that historic buildings in small towns offer, compared to the cookie-cutter, generic atmosphere of suburban retail areas.”