Serving as a big brother to many of us, Frank Longaker had moved his Insurance office from Dixie Highway to the Third Floor of The Cloister and after Ray Schumann offered a space for a Non-Profit Gallery, encouraged artists to purchase their own buildings in the Phoenix Hill neighborhood.
Located at the corner of Shelby and Chestnut Streets, his building and the one next door were Frank’s renovations near The Cloister. Joe Murphy, who had worked for my uncle’s Brick-Laying Company, became the teacher that we would-be rehab workers needed. We watched him tuc point and went back to our own buildings to copy his mortar maneuvers.
The La Belle Gallery sign was exchanged from Insurance Agency when Frank retired which allowed him to become a framer who specialized in maps of all sizes.
Walter Harned moved into the rear apartment next door and after my evening classes with Jefferson County Adult sessions, I would stop by and work at LaBelle trading after-hours work for the frames I needed for my own paintings.
I never knew what to expect when I pulled up outside the Gallery. One evening stands out in my memory as I discovered the two chefs attempting to copy the Mazzoni rolled oyster recipe. Instead of cutting mats that night, I joined in the back room attempt to imitate the oyster perfection by rolling crackers into fine crumbs.
The end product tasted pretty good but not quite up to the Mazzoni level. We knew the Gallery sign would not be replaced by “Friendly Neighborhood Restaurant”.