Name/Title
Ladder - Woodell Family Art StudioEntry/Object ID
2020.1.4_OHDescription
In the late 1990s, Mark and Patsy Bates donated the Bell & Bates Building to the Gadsden Arts Center (later the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum), providing a beautiful and historic space in downtown Quincy to house the Center’s galleries and educational spaces. Bell & Bates was, and still is, Gadsden county’s oldest privately owned hardware store founded in 1902. Architectural details and building artifacts were carefully saved, so when the building underwent a multi-year renovation, the hardware store’s original ladders were preserved and reinstalled in two galleries downstairs and the Woodell Family Art Studio on the 2nd floor.
When the Bell & Bates Hardware store opened in 1912, the interior was lined with shelves from the floor to the ceiling. Up until the 1960s the store still had most of its merchandise in boxes, requiring clerks to climb these ladders and take down each individual box for waiting customers. Bell & Bates owner Mark Bates recalls his uncle, Mort Bates, stating that “When you came in to do inventory on New Year’s Day after having been at the New Year’s Eve Dance, and not in your best condition, it was scary at the top.”
These ladders were often admired by children who wanted to climb them and see the view atop the shelves. Of all the historic items that belong to the building, the ladders hold a special place in the hearts of those who grew up with them.Collection
Organizational History CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2020.1Source or Donor
Mr. and Mrs. Mark W. BatesAcquisition Method
GiftDimensions
Height
144 inWidth
12 inDepth
4-1/2 inCreated By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
August 6, 2020