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About / The Artist / History / Vision / Loft Lifestyle
About / The Artist / History / Vision / Loft Lifestyle
| HISTORY |
SNOWDRIFT began its life as a Babbitt Brothers
Mercantile Store which was built in 1914. There were
four sections to the store: a grocery store, with a large
selection of canned goods, a central clothing section, a
section that sold caste iron stoves, wash tubs and other
conveniences, and an Indian Goods Department that
was located in the upper mezzanine.
Babbitt Brothers operated the store for decades, but by
the 1970s, it had been sold and was known as the P&H
Store. Just next door (to the east) was the Troutner's
Men's Clothing Store, with the famous Rt. 66 icon of a
curvy woman and the slogan "For Men Only" that graced
billboards all along the mother road. Sadly, the Troutner
Store fell victim to fire and was demolished in the 1990s.
In 2002, Dan Lutzick, an artist and partner in the La
Posada Hotel restoration project, purchased the
building. Dan first looked at the building in 2000, and
the price was $2, which reflected both the condition of
the building and of downtown Winslow in general. At this
point, the building had been unoccupied for close to a
decade, the rear wall had collapsed, and the pigeons
pretty much owned the place. But Winslow was
changing, and with La Posada as an anchor, downtown
revitalization was finally taking place.
The first phase of restoration focused on stabilizing the
collapsed north wall. The buildings entire electrical and
plumbing systems were abandoned, and the upper
mezzanine, which consisted of a series of offices and
stock rooms was completely gutted to make way for a loft
apartment.
The building had received significant water damage, and
sections of the 10,000 sq. ft. main floor were stripped
and replaced. The original tin ceiling was patched and a
skylight (one of 4) was rebuilt. For a time, a drop ceiling
had been lowered to the level of the white paint visible
on the support columns. Old suspended plumbing and
heating fixtures were cut and removed.
Back outside, the old signage that had been tacked to
the building over the years was removed. New siding was
attached all along the Rt. 66 side of the building, and
the facade was scrapped sealed and painted. Above,
the entire 10,000 sq. ft. roof was stripped and sealed by
Dan alone, a process that was accomplished over a
period of two years.
And while all of this was happening, new sculpture was
being continually produced and installed, with sculptural
armatures evolving in the exhibition space that itself was
under construction. Today, SNOWDRIFT is still only 50%
renovated, with a 10,000 sq. ft. basement that will be the
future site of more exhibition space and an open studio.
Mercantile Store which was built in 1914. There were
four sections to the store: a grocery store, with a large
selection of canned goods, a central clothing section, a
section that sold caste iron stoves, wash tubs and other
conveniences, and an Indian Goods Department that
was located in the upper mezzanine.
Babbitt Brothers operated the store for decades, but by
the 1970s, it had been sold and was known as the P&H
Store. Just next door (to the east) was the Troutner's
Men's Clothing Store, with the famous Rt. 66 icon of a
curvy woman and the slogan "For Men Only" that graced
billboards all along the mother road. Sadly, the Troutner
Store fell victim to fire and was demolished in the 1990s.
In 2002, Dan Lutzick, an artist and partner in the La
Posada Hotel restoration project, purchased the
building. Dan first looked at the building in 2000, and
the price was $2, which reflected both the condition of
the building and of downtown Winslow in general. At this
point, the building had been unoccupied for close to a
decade, the rear wall had collapsed, and the pigeons
pretty much owned the place. But Winslow was
changing, and with La Posada as an anchor, downtown
revitalization was finally taking place.
The first phase of restoration focused on stabilizing the
collapsed north wall. The buildings entire electrical and
plumbing systems were abandoned, and the upper
mezzanine, which consisted of a series of offices and
stock rooms was completely gutted to make way for a loft
apartment.
The building had received significant water damage, and
sections of the 10,000 sq. ft. main floor were stripped
and replaced. The original tin ceiling was patched and a
skylight (one of 4) was rebuilt. For a time, a drop ceiling
had been lowered to the level of the white paint visible
on the support columns. Old suspended plumbing and
heating fixtures were cut and removed.
Back outside, the old signage that had been tacked to
the building over the years was removed. New siding was
attached all along the Rt. 66 side of the building, and
the facade was scrapped sealed and painted. Above,
the entire 10,000 sq. ft. roof was stripped and sealed by
Dan alone, a process that was accomplished over a
period of two years.
And while all of this was happening, new sculpture was
being continually produced and installed, with sculptural
armatures evolving in the exhibition space that itself was
under construction. Today, SNOWDRIFT is still only 50%
renovated, with a 10,000 sq. ft. basement that will be the
future site of more exhibition space and an open studio.
| 1914 |
| 1930s |
| 1970s |
| Today |
| Repairing the North wall |
| Installing an armature |
| Renovating the main exhibition space |