Landmark Association to help destroyed historic neighborhoods; Man recalls 1960’s childhood near old Broadway

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Landmark Association wants to help historic neighborhoods destroyed in December’s tornadoes. One man who grew up in the heart of Bowling Green in the 1960s recalls the neighborhoods’ of yesteryear.

The Nutwood Magnolia Historic District and the Cedar Ridge neighborhood were both terribly damaged during the storms.

Landmark Association’s yearly $5000 grants help Warren County historic home owners and business owners take care of their buildings.

This year, the association is upping the grant award to at least $11,000 in matching-grants all dedicated to tornado damaged structures in the two historic neighborhoods. 

Landmark Association’s Margaret Stein said, “We want to do what we can at Landmark to restore your historic home to what it was before December.”

Bobby Rabold grew up near Broadway in the 60s, and he remembers what the neighborhoods were like in their glory days. 

“It was a magical experience as a child living in Bowling Green in that area,” Rabold recalled. “[My friends and I] used to play one block away from Covington Woods, one block from Broadway, and then my grandmother used to live in Covington, and I could just walk through my neighbor’s yard across the street right into her backyard.”

To keep the neighborhood’s magic alive, the association has worked hard to reach their $11,000 grant, but Stein says they want to raise at least $5,000 more through community donation.

Every tax-deductible gift you can donate will go straight to the homeowners in the Nutwood Magnolia Historic District and the Cedar Ridge Neighborhood.

“There’s been a groundswell of support here in Bowling Green when [the tornadoes] all happened,” said Stein. “As someone who grew up here, I think that’s really important and exciting.”

Rabold added, “Bowling Green was like Mayberry during that time frame, and it was just an incredible place to grow up, in particular the Covington, Magnolia and Nutwood areas…” 

Though times have certainly changed since Rabold’s childhood, hopefully these grants can help restore some of the damage so that the next generation can pass on their memories.

The Landmark Association plans to allocate all the grant money by the middle of April, so please apply on Landmark Association’s website now. Homeowners who apply will have until around November to complete their part of the matching grant’s renovations.

If you have a question, reach out to bglandmark@yahoo.com.