'Today' puts Havre in limelight

Editor’s note: Here is the link to this Today segment.

http://www.today.com/home/extreme-diy-35-000-foot-landmark-cozy-home-5-t34841

Havre was in the national spotlight this morning as NBC’s “Today” show did a segment on what host Matt Lauer called “perhaps the coolest do-it-yourself project in America.”

Lauer was referring to the rehabilitation of the Havre Historic Post Office on 3rd Avenue by Drs. Marc Whitacre and Erica Farmer.

Bob Dotson, the veteran NBC reporter who did the feature, called it “the biggest fixer-up.”

The doctors bought the building for $100,000 when they first moved to Havre from Kansas. It had been vacant for several years and the building was riddled with problems from years of neglect.

“Did you know it is one-third the size of Downton Abbey?” Dotson asked Farmer.

She laughed, saying it was the first time she’d heard of the comparison.

He pointed out that the building was home to the couple’s three children, who had the advantage of playing in the tunnels and secret passages the building is known for.

The show followed the couple as they have lived for three years to their new home, in the former federal courtroom on the third floor of the building.

The third floor was added in the 1930s to house the federal courtroom. The courtroom was needed due to the influx of federal bootlegging charges because Havre is so close to the Canadian border.

“And then, no more prohibition,” Farmer said.

Dotson asked them if they had ever thought of giving up.

They looked shocked.

“No, never crossed our minds,” Whitacre said.

“Today” showed photos of Whitacre fixing windows on the third floor while Farmer operated the bucket life.

Whitacre had to get state certification as a low-pressure boiler technician.

But Dotson called Whitacre a lifelong learner. Whitacre, who studied Chinese and Japanese literature before becoming a doctor, said learning should never end.

Dotson noted that the doctors are inviting people to use the first floor for community events.

Lauer asked when Farmer and Whitacre would be finished with the project.

“Probably never,” Dotson said.

They will continue with their work, Dotson said.

“They consider themselves caretakers of the building,” he said.