Milestone of National Significance:
200th Nomination to be authored by K.W. Garner
K. W. Garner Consulting & Design, a Plymouth, Indiana-based firm specializing in historic preservation, has reached a milestone unmatched in the Hoosier state and likely on a national level. Since its inception in 1966 under the National Historic Preservation Act, properties of local, state, and national significance have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. In the last year, Indiana passed its 200th site listed on the Register. Kurt West Garner, principal/owner of K. W. Garner Consulting & Design will be authoring his 200th nomination with all but one located in Indiana. That number is as much as fourfold more than any other Hoosier has authored and likely more than anyone has authored in the country, though authorship goes largely
uncounted.
In its early years, the Register required a short form and few pages in order to meet requirements. In recent decades, the form expanded and nominations require substantial research, justification, and expanded descriptions for acceptance into the Register. It is not uncommon to have thirty pages devoted to a single site being nominated, growing exponentially for large districts. The nominations, works of creative writing and scholarship, help establish the significant role buildings, people, and places have played in the development of the state and nation.
The first nomination Garner authored was for his hometown. Garner’s design work at the time included façade restoration of several downtown buildings through B. A. Martin Architects. This sparked an interest in the district’s history, which led to the formation of a committee to conduct interviews and Garner wrote the nomination for the Plymouth Downtown Historic District in 1998. A handful of other nominations followed and by the time Garner began his firm in 2008, the tally had reached just six. The non-profit organization, Partners in Preservation and its founder, James Morrow of Beverly Shores, reached out to Garner for development of nominations in Northwest Indiana. The program came under stewardship of Indiana Landmarks, a state-wide preservation organization, and Garner’s work expanded into Northern and Central Indiana. By 2016, Garner had authored his 100th nomination.
For a property to qualify for the National Register, generally it must be at least 50 years old and have important architectural/engineering design, historical significance, or be connected to an important historical figure. One of Garner’s most rewarding nominations was the Chief Menominee Memorial near Twin Lakes in Marshall County. Dedicated in 1909, the monument to “the peaceful chief” commemorates the beginning of the forced removal of Potawatomie known as the Trail of Death. The granite statue is believed to be the first government-funded monument to a Native American.
Other nominations authored by K. W. Garner include bridges, cemeteries, churches, schools, parks, libraries, private residences, and commercial enterprises. Historic districts listed include residential and commercial from just a dozen buildings to over five hundred. In total, Garner’s nominations have added over 5000 buildings, structures, or sites to the National Register, allowing owners to take advantage of grants and tax credits for restoration. These include over 120 churches and 60 public buildings and sites. Unusual nominations include properties owned by Indiana Dunes National Park, community mausolea – including a statewide database, unique bridges, historically-segregated schools, and C & O Engine 2789, better known as “the Friendship Train” because of the humanitarian role it played in post-wwii America; it is now housed at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson.
In keeping with a work philosophy begun in 2008, the 200th and 201st nominations, both in Ohio River communities, are donations which have totaled about ten percent of the work performed to-date. Garner reached out to Indiana Landmarks regional offices in May to submit proposals for what site should be #200. Parameters were that it had to be either privately or non-profitowned and located in a county under-represented by National Register listings. The Speakman House, an impressive 1846 Greek Revival mansion outside Rising Sun once on Indiana Landmark’s Ten Most Endangered List, and the Tell City Carnegie Library, now home to the city’s historical society, were proposed. Rather than selecting one over the other, Garner has committed to write nominations for both as #200 and #201.
Garner considers his work a record for the ages, even as some properties he had listed have already disappeared from the landscape. Clients include private individuals, non-profits and churches, municipalities, and corporations. Garner has worked in nearly three-quarters of Indiana’s counties offering preservation consulting and was intricately involved in creating the last three of Indiana’s eight scenic byways.
Garner maintains his farmstead residence and office outside Plymouth. Built in 1865 by Marshall County’s first permanent white explorer-settler and dubbed “Sycamore Hill,” the property was listed on the Indiana Register in 2015. It has been restored by Garner and his wife, Christine. Garner, who traces his Indiana roots to pre-statehood, has Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration from Bethel University (Mishawaka) and Architecture from Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan). Garner has also served as a Plymouth Councilman and Marshall County Commissioner.