Photo from Facebook
Statewide recognition has been given to the man who renovated The Ole Opera House building in downtown Guthrie.
Guthrie Main Street announced that board member Todd Thomas received the Ida Lee Willis award for The Ole Opera House preservation project.
The annual statewide historic preservation awards are named for the late Ida Lee Willis, a former Kentucky first lady who was appointed the first executive director of the Kentucky Heritage Commission, which is now the Kentucky Heritage Council, in 1966.
Under her direction, the agency began in earnest to survey the state, nominate sites to the National Register of Historic Places, award grants and promote preservation statewide.
The bottom floor of the building is the Jalapeno Grill Mexican restaurant and the upper story is functional as a meeting room or for other gatherings. The Ole Opera House was constructed in 1872 and also has a stage that could be used for a show in the top floor.