Site of 1st Black-owned pharmacy franchise in Lexington could get new owner, new life
A building that was once the first Black-owned pharmacy franchise in the country and formerly served as a day shelter for the homeless may get a new use and a new owner after years of sitting vacant.
The Lexington council took its first vote Tuesday to issue a request for proposals from organizations interested in the building at 400 East Fifth Street. If organizations respond to the request, the council has tentatively agreed to spend $300,000 on environmental remediation and structural fixes to the two-story building constructed in 1961.
The ownership of the former Catholic Action Center, on the corner of Fifth Street and Chestnut Avenue, was transferred to the city as part of a settlement with the Catholic Action Center in 2015. The building has been vacant since the Catholic Action Center combined its night and day shelter operations at its current Industry Road location in 2017.
Dr. Zirl Palmer opened the first Black-owned Rexall pharmacy franchise in the building. It served as a pharmacy, lunch counter and soda fountain. The second floor once held doctor’s offices. When it opened in 1961, it was the only Black-owned pharmacy in Lexington, according to the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation.
The corner of Fifth and Chestnut has also been an eyesore and a public safety issue for the neighborhood, said Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman James Brown, who represents the Fifth and Chestnut area.
“This corner has been in need of attention for a long time,” said Brown, who pushed for the council request proposals.
Vice Mayor Steve Kay agreed. Kay lives not far from Fifth and Chestnut.
“That corner has been a blight on that neighborhood for a long time,” Kay said.
The only council member to vote against the proposal during the council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee was Councilman Richard Moloney. Moloney said he was not against the project. Moloney said he did not think the city should be spending money on a building given the uncertainty of the city’s finances.
The $300,000 would come from approximately $25 million in reimbursements the city has received for coronavirus-related expenses.
Brown said several nonprofits had expressed interest in the building, including the United Way of the Bluegrass. The goal is to have whatever organization that responds to the request for proposal take over the building and pay for its maintenance and upkeep. It would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to tear down the building, Brown said.
By spending some money to rehab the building, the city will be able to better market the site, he said. A previous request for proposals for the building received no responses because the structure was in such poor condition, he said.
The council will take a final vote on issuing the request for proposals in the coming weeks.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 7:52 AM.
