A Todd County man was recognized Wednesday at the 40th annual Ida Lee Willis ceremony in Frankfort.
Kentucky Heritage Council officials announced owner Todd Thomas was honored with a Preservation Project Award for the restoration of a community landmark, The Ole Opera House in Guthrie. They say the project located in a National Register district utilized state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, created jobs, and served as a catalyst for additional downtown development. A social media post by Guthrie Main Street says board member Todd Thomas received the Ida Lee Willis award for The Ole Opera House preservation project in downtown Guthrie.
The annual statewide historic preservation awards are named for the late Ida Lee Willis, a former Kentucky first lady who was appointed the first executive director of the Kentucky Heritage Commission, now the Kentucky Heritage Council, in 1966. Under her direction, the agency began in earnest to survey the state, nominate sites to the National Register of Historic Places, award grants and promote preservation statewide.
