I purchased the “Pink House” in 1987 from Mike and Rita Longaker. Located at 728 E. Chestnut Street, the house was a two-story brick building a short distance from the renovated shops of The Cloister where I was Executive Director of the non-profit community Art Gallery on the second floor.
Buddy Adkins strolled up the walk with his hammer and saw and constructed a loft area for me in the center room of the Pink House. The steps he built led up to a bedroom area. The space under the loft served as an office and by putting a door on the area beneath the steps, storage shelves were concealed.
When Buddy was not working on a construction project. his attitude turned to bringing down a tree with a chainsaw. He was a wood carver with an eye trained in humor as his four-foot statue of a penguin dressed in tie and tails sporting a top hat and wine glass proved.
After the Gallery purchased the large building on the corner of Campbell and Chestnut Streets, Buddy became a one-man renovation crew, changing the old structure into a modern home where we were proud to continue presenting the works of local artists and craftsmen to appreciative audiences.
My favorite memory of Buddy happened one day during his lunch break. I walked back into his shop area to see him lying flat on his back up on his workbench, happily carving a small figure of Baby Jesus.