From Despair to Renewal

Years ago, a man bought the Shumway Building, gutted the jewel of Lanark’s Downtown and left it a shambles, deteriorating with every passing year.  The roof began to collapse, pieces of the building were falling on the sidewalks, and the Lanark City Council became nervous about the hazard they had in their midst.

After a long court battle with the owner, the City finally took possession of the Shumway in April of 2006.  The building was put up for sale with hopes of someone investing in the building and the community, but no one came forward.

Though many people wished they could undertake the project, no one felt they had the resources to tackle the formidable task to save the beautiful old building.

The City decided that the only relief from this long-time thorn in their side was with demolition.  That is when Nancy Guenzler called a friend and said that she didn’t know how it could happen, but she couldn’t let the building, along with the downtown’s sense of identity, fall.

She and her friend decided to hold public meetings and see if anyone would join them to save the Shumway.  The meetings were successful with many people lending their support and ideas to the belief that a small town could accomplish such a huge undertaking.

Out of these meetings, a small group of citizens formed a non-profit organization to not only renovate the Shumway, but to revitalize the historic downtown district of their small community.

The Lanark Cornerstone Project is grateful to the Lanark City Council for having faith that the Project’s commitment was serious and selling the building to them for ten dollars.  The Lanark City Council also graciously gave the Project $35,000 it would have used to demolish the building.

Presently, there is a new roof and a stable second floor in the building.  The original storefront now replaces a modernized facade and work is moving rapidly toward many more improvements.  To continue the Project, we need your help.