Old Meade County Jail to become Jailhouse Pizza
By KAREN KENNEDY When the tornado of 1974 devastated Main Street in Brandenburg, the face of downtown Brandenburg changed drastically. There’s been a recent movement to revitalize Main Street, and builder Ronnie Ables, a resident of Brandenburg, is a hands-on part of that movement. About two and a half years ago, Ables purchased the old, vacant Meade County Jail, a brick structure that sits high atop a hill on Main. At the time of purchase, Ables put a new roof on the structure but wasn’t yet sure what he wanted to do with the building. But now the ideas are in place and the way has become clear, and Ables is very excited about it. Jailhouse Pizza will open on Main Street this coming spring – hopefully in April – and will feature pizzas, sub sandwiches, salads and some low-calorie menu choices. Richard Lomerson, also of Brandenburg, is leasing the building from Ables to run the business. The two will be business partners in this endeavor with Lomerson serving as manager of the business on a daily basis. The most important part of the project, said Ables, is to “revive” the building instead of just renovate it. The old jail features brick walls and a galvanized ceiling, and they will be preserved in their present condition. There are holding jail cells in the building, and these will also remain untouched. If you’ve driven by the old jail recently, you’ve noticed framing for an addition, which will hold additional dining rooms. Metal ceilings, similar to what’s in the old jail, will be put in the addition. Once the restaurant is completed, the seating capacity should be about 80. Outside of the building are some old stone walls that are falling down and need to be put back. Ables hopes to work with the historical society as well as the city of Brandenburg to see that this gets done. In fact, Ables will be working with the city as much as possible throughout the jail revitalization project. One might wonder where the parking lots will be located, but Ables already has that figured out. Down by the street will be motorcycle parking. Up top will be handicapped parking as well as a drop-off area. Where the old courthouse once stood will be parking. All told, Ables hopes to have parking to accommodate 80 vehicles. In addition to the restaurant project, Ables is also in the process of trying to buy 132 River Road, which is the old restaurant down by the river that has sat vacant for the past decade or more. If all goes as planned, Ables will convert the old restaurant into riverfront condos. Ables’ overall goal is to try to bring more tourism into Meade County. Hopefully, now that he’s getting the ball rolling, others will follow suit. Ables would love to see Main Street lined with little stores like it was in years past. He thinks once there are a few more things on Main Street, the word will spread and people will begin to come visit. “I have friends in Louisville, and I know they’ll all come down once the restaurant is open. They’ll tell other people who will tell other people. With the uniqueness of the jail – the jail cells still intact – people will want to come see it. They’ll want to come see the history of Meade County,” said Ables. The planned hours of operation for Jailhouse Pizza are 3 to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends in the summer. Winter weekend hours will be determined at a later date. Ables is in the process of applying for a license to sell beer and wine at the restaurant. As part of the preservation of Meade County history, Ables and Lomerson would like to obtain as many old photographs of Meade County and any other types of memorabilia they can locate. “We want to hang the history of Meade County on the inside walls of Jailhouse Pizza,” said Ables, “so that customers can enjoy the history of Meade County every time they come visit.” Anyone who would be willing to either lend (for copying purposes) or sell Meade County photographs or memorabilia to Jailhouse Pizza should contact Barbara Lomerson at 422-5680.
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Photo by Karen Kennedy