Trip west provides glimpse of roundhouse possibilities
Published May 14th by the Frankfort Times
by Andrea Thomas
AURORA, Ill. — Before it was remodeled in 1995, the railroad roundhouse in Aurora, Ill., was dilapidated, with broken windows, a collapsing infrastructure and a thick layer of pigeon dung covering the floor.
It looked a lot like the Frankfort Roundhouse, which sits empty, a once-upon-a-time landmark that has become an eyesore in the Clinton County community.
But, due to the celebrity of the late football hero Walter Payton and the vision of architect and owner Scott Ascher, the Aurora Roundhouse was converted from architectural rubble into an architectural jewel.
After a field trip Tuesday to the rehabilitated structure, now known as Walter Payton’s Roundhouse Complex, students of Frankfort High School and local community members believe a similar transformation might be possible here.
“The facility was built to turn trains around,” said Ascher, “but anyone with half a brain can turn it into something else.”
Although Kevin Smith’s students — members of the Purdue-based class Engineering Projects in Community Service — are seeking to preserve the historical content of the Frankfort roundhouse, it doesn’t mean they have to turn it into a museum.
Take Ascher’s facility, for example. It now houses America’s Brewpub and America’s Brewing Company, which have earned three consecutive Gold Medals in the World Beer Cup. It also boasts the Walter Payton Museum, with relics and artifacts from the ball-carrier’s legendary career with the Chicago Bears.
He has resisted suggestions to insert a locomotive in his green and inviting courtyard, opting instead for a gazebo as the centerpiece.
The roundhouse also serves award-winning food in its restaurant, boasting gourmet meals such as Baja fish tacos and a Jamaican jerk burger with mango chutney sauce. Because of his flexibility and entrepreneurship, Ascher’s businesses gross $5 million in sales a year and now have about 157 employees on staff.
There is even a hotel nearby to accommodate the large sums of outsiders who visit each year — the facility hosts 200 weddings annually.
These statistics are even more amazing considering the fact that residents warned Ascher early on that he would find little support for his project in Aurora. When he suggested purchasing the land and the building for $10, Ascher experienced some resistance from the community. After a little persuasion, however, the city council voted 10-0 to permit the project’s commencement.
Now, it is a destination for performers, comedians, athletes and even the President of the United States, who as an Illinois senator visited the roundhouse and gave speeches, fostering a relationship that earned Ascher and his wife an invitation to the Inauguration in January.
When looking at the crumbling roundhouse in Frankfort, it may be difficult to imagine it could ever be as enchanting or hospitable as the one in Aurora. But Ascher contends that with the vision of youth, a clear plan for finances and a strong base of support, anything is possible.
As a result, teacher Kevin Smith, Mayor Chris Pippenger and Shan Sheridan, vice president of Frankfort-Midwest Rail Heritage Trust, have high hopes for eventual renovations in their own city.
Moreover, a conversation between Ascher and Indianapolis Colts defensive back Bob Sanders revealed that the professional player may be willing to lend his own celebrity status to Frankfort’s project.
The next step for Smith and his students is to further investigate the feasibility of the rehabilitation, to better understand the architecture of the building and to create a living drawing of the structure.
“Our slogan is that we want to create a destination for people. The way we look at it is that this is a footprint that’s here on Earth,” Smith said. “What can we put in it?”
Back to FRH News