Local dentists and business partners Josh Stamper and Shawn Stringer are setting out to restore and reimagine one of downtown Owensboro’s most historic buildings. The pair recently purchased two adjacent properties to create a vibrant mixed-use space in the heart of the city.
They acquired 511-513 Frederica Street (the large white building known for decades as the home of Trisons Gifts and The Trophy House), along with 501 Frederica Street (a former detail shop and garage located at the corner of 5th and Frederica). Together, the properties offer more than 14,000 square feet of potential.
“We’re both pretty entrepreneurial-minded, and we had been kicking around a few ideas for years,” Stamper said. “We just needed the right space to make it happen. This building checked every box.”
The main building features four ground-floor retail spaces and two upper floors, suitable for commercial or office use, totaling over 12,000 square feet. According to Stamper, their vision includes a mix of commercial, medical, retail, and possibly restaurant tenants. Initial work will focus on upgrading infrastructure, including plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and roofing.
“We want to restore it to its glory, not just have another half-torn-down building downtown,” Stamper said. “Phase one is about making it beautiful and safe again. By the second half of 2026, we’ll be ready to share more of the long-term vision.”
While they haven’t ruled out relocating their Bluegrass Dental practice from the Midtown Building to the new property, Stamper said that decision will depend on how the development evolves.
“There will definitely be a medical component to the building, and it could be dental. But we’re keeping our options open,” he said.
The project also includes plans to convert the adjacent garage property into a parking lot. Stamper said that would help address a common downtown issue and support future tenants.
“If we can get five or six businesses in here, they’ll all need parking,” he said. “That corner lot could be a huge asset.”
Stamper and Stringer credit their friend and downtown developer John Ross Martin, along with realtor Blake Hayden, for helping to shape the vision for the project. Though he has no financial interest in the building, Stamper said Martin has connected them with contractors and encouraged them to see the building’s potential.
“We didn’t see it at first,” Stamper said. “But John’s commitment to revitalizing downtown is contagious. Seeing his projects gave us the spark.”
They’re also hoping the community can help fill in the blanks of the building’s history. According to Stamper, the structure serves as a time capsule of Frederica Street’s transformation from a residential mansion row into a commercial corridor in the early 20th century.
According to Stamper’s research, before 1920, the block was home to sprawling estates belonging to the Sweeney and Stirman families. That began to change when Standard Oil built a gas station at 501 Frederica — the very corner lot Stamper and Stringer now own — sparking a wave of commercial development.
Stamper said the first structure at 507 Frederica was a high-end grocery store built by H.G. Smith in 1922. A year later, real estate developer Lee Hart constructed the adjoining storefronts at 509, 511, and 513 Frederica. Stamper said Hart intentionally matched the buildings’ brickwork, rooflines, and sidewalk height, creating one of Owensboro’s first unified commercial blocks.
Stamper’s research also revealed that in 1935, oilman W.W. Damron led a major expansion. According to the research, Damron added a second story to several storefronts and introduced the cast-stone “Lions of Commerce,” which still decorate the building’s façade. These lions were intended to symbolize strength and stability during the Great Depression.
“We’re trying to get the building on the National Register of Historic Places,” Stamper said. “It has a legacy, and we want to honor that.”
The developers hope to preserve as much of the building’s original character as possible. That includes restoring old brick, maintaining plaster walls, and reusing the building’s historic woodwork and doors. They are actively seeking old photographs or stories to help document the site’s full history.
Stamper encouraged anyone with historic photos or information about 511-513 Frederica Street to contact him at [email protected].
“We want to celebrate this building’s story while giving it a new chapter,” Stamper said. “Owensboro’s downtown has so much to offer. We just want to do our part.”
