POWERGRAMS

27 DC Comics should contact Andrew Moore about joining the super hero ranks of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Moore, it seems, is already "Restoration Man," as he battles rotten timber, broken windows, chipped paint, mold, mildew and all other decay that destroys unique and aging aspects of the American way. With his trusty sidekick Diane (who doubles as his wife of 34 years), urban blight has little chance when Andrew decides to take it on. Since retiring from Southern Company 25 years ago, he has found one decrepit home after another building in extreme deterioration, bought the structures and lovingly guided them back to their housing heyday. "It's all about restoring old things, saving them," Moore says. "We're restoring as much as we can to make sure these beautiful buildings survive for future generations." Restoration Man is skilled in all manner of household repair. He rebuilds walls, doors, flooring and ceilings to secure the buildings before moving on to plumbing, painting and perfecting what is in disrepair. "I won't say I have never hired anyone to help but I do the vast majority of the work myself," he says. "I'm the one on the wall painting. I generally don't hire plumbers, but sometimes for electrical work, because of city codes, I have to hire someone." The Moores have purchased and restored seven old houses in Columbiana, five in Wilsonville and another pair in Chelsea. Along with Mayor Stancil Handley, they own two century-old buildings in downtown Columbiana that are being brought back to a productive business life. Moore bought, restored and sold the 1890 Blue Springs Methodist Church 4 miles northeast of Columbiana. He bought the collapsing 1879 Densler House next to Wilsonville's First Baptist Church, worked on it for nearly five years and then opened part of it as a tea room operated by Diane. The Victorian structure with 14-foot-tall ceilings hadn't been lived in for 35 years. "It wasn't livable when we bought it," he says. "For us, everything is about history. It's not just about creating jobs, it's about saving history." While he was restoring the Densler House, the Moores bought the 1889 Dubose House, built by the former owner of the Shelby County Sentinel, which was the predecessor of the Shelby County Reporter. The crumbling 4,400-square-foot house with 6-inch-thick walls sat for several years before Moore could begin his work. It would be his most involved restoration, leading the Moores to move to Columbiana. "The city officials told the previous owners they had to fix it or tear it down," he says. "I would not have lived in it in the condition it was in when we bought it." The Moores decided the Dubose House would become Columbiana's first bed and breakfast. He began revising the floor plans to accommodate three guest rooms upstairs and three on the first floor. He built five tiled bathrooms, each with a sink, toilet and shower, and remodeled the others from the 1920s. The old screened back porch became the sixth guest room, and Moore replaced the rotten flooring with wood from a barn he'd dismantled in another town. He added crown molding along all the edges of the 12-foot-high ceilings and hung bright new glass chandeliers, fans and other lighting fixtures. In 2007, Moore proclaimed his latest victory over the evil forces of ruin as the Moores opened the Columbiana Inn. It remains the only DECAYING BUILDINGS FIND NEW LIFE WITH THE MOORES By Chuck Chandler

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