First Floor Restoration: Laona Area Chamber

Hello all! This is to be our first blog post, as we are testing out our new systems and trying to post frequently in order to keep everyone up-to-date on the progress of the building restoration!

We are currently working on the first floor, focusing specifically on the southeast side of the first floor (when looking at the front of the building, it would be the right-hand side of the front area inside). Currently, most of the original maple hardwood flooring has been re-exposed, showing us several very interesting things:

-Original brick walls have been removed from certain areas

-The flooring shows us where original display cases once stood

-The flooring also shows us where original doors, hallways, walkways, and more used to be

We are currently focusing on this front portion of the building in order to create a workable physical space for the Laona Area Chamber of Commerce. It was always the intention of Maple Place to have space available for the Chamber's physical location; we are speeding along the process as quickly as we are able, given the current limited resources, in order to open up additional functionability for the Chamber, as well as a work-in-progress visitors'/tourism center that will be accessible to the public as often and as much as possible. Take a look at some of the flooring, and at the space that is currently being restored, in the attached photos, and let us know what you think! :)