Clarksville Historic Preservation Commission seeks to relocate bell tower

Brooke McAfee, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·4 min read

Feb. 16—CLARKSVILLE — The Clarksville Historic Preservation Commission plans to move a historic bell tower to a town park.

The commission is seeking proposals for the relocation of a bell tower that belonged to the historic George Rogers Clark Public School. The plan is to feature the tower as a landmark at the corner of Colgate Park.

The tower will be placed at the South Clark Boulevard and Sherwood Avenue intersection near Newman Avenue. The plans will also incorporate history related to South Clarksville's commuter rail lines by featuring foundation stones from a historic South Clarksville rail switching station.

Lynn Lewis, president of the Clarksville Historic Preservation Commission, said the plan is to honor the town's neighborhood schools and transportation history through the landmark.

As the town moves forward with new development in the riverfront area, Lewis wants the bell tower landmark to "remind citizens of our history and create a testament to that history in South Clarksville."

Neal Turpin, planning director for the Town of Clarksville, said the community "is looking for a way to remember or to honor some of its past while still looking to the future as well."

The George Rogers Clark Public School was built in 1899, and the bell tower was removed in 1973. The school closed in the 2000s, and the building was sold to Safe Harbor Community Church in 2008.

The bell tower and columns from the historic school have remained at the site of the former school at 435 W. Stansifer Ave. The columns from the school would also be part of the planned landmark.

The bell that belonged to the historic tower is now housed at Clarksville High School. The commission aims to either reunite the old bell with the tower or build a new bell so it can "sound regularly" in the tower, according to the town's RFP, or request for proposals.

The commission also wants to add a plaza and benches to accompany the landmark at Colgate Park.

Lewis said the landmark will focus on the "importance of public education in all our lives and certainly in the life of Clarksville." The transportation piece will focus on the town's role as a transportation hub between Jeffersonville, New Albany and Louisville.

"The RFP invites the designer to incorporate both the importance of education and the impact of transportation on the growth of Clarksville in that installation," she said.

The deadline for the proposals is no later than 4 p.m. on March 17. The project budget is projected at $50,000, including a $30,000 grant from the Arts Alliance of Southern Indiana.

The plans for the new landmark are only one of many projects in the works for South Clarksville. The Town of Clarksville expects to make significant progress this year in the transformation of the area, including planned projects on its Main Street and Riverside Drive corridors.

Mike Mustain, a member of the Clarksville Town Council and Clarksville Redevelopment Commission, said the planned upgrades to the floodwall at the foot of Main Street will be a "major undertaking."

The town awarded the contract for the floodwall project to MAC Construction in 2022. The $5.5 million project will expand the opening of the floodwall and create an "attractive entryway to Ashland Park and Riverside Drive," he said.

The project involves a new gate that will take about six to seven months for MAC to construct, according to Mustain.

The town is planning to rebuild Riverside Drive through a project that will involve new sidewalks, parking, bike paths, lighting and other amenities. The project will allow for redevelopment along the riverfront and the completion of the Ohio River Greenway connecting Clarksville with Jeffersonville.

The Riverside Drive project is expected to go out to bid in March, and construction will likely begin after Thunder Over Louisville in late April. Mustain said his focus is protecting the town's riverfront, and he does not want to see private development in the area south of the flood wall.

Turpin notes that Clarksville's plans for a new street grid in the area are underway. The town is also pushing for a zoning change to allow for the development of small, affordable homes in South Clarksville. The zoning change will likely be considered in March by the town's plan commission and town council.

"It's really going to open the doors to fill vacant lots and brings more residents to the area," he said.

Last week, the Town of Clarksville put in a $6 million offer to Clarks Landing Enterprises Investments LLC for the Colgate-Palmolive Co. Plant in South Clarksville to acquire and preserve the historic building. If the offer is rejected, the town could begin the eminent domain process to obtain the property.

In Clarksville's new downtown area, work is progressing on the Current 812 development, a mixed-use complex under development by Denton Floyd Real Estate that will include 200 apartment units.

Denton Floyd announced plans in January to pursue three other projects in South Clarksville, including two luxury apartment developments and a project that could potentially include a luxury hotel/conference center.