Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
ABOVE, PROJECT director Rick Allen of Ruotsala Construction in Ironwood provides guidance from the ground while Rick Carlson (unseen) uses an excavator at left to peel away pieces from the back of the old Gambles Building in Bessemer on July 10. At right, taking advantage of an elevated perspective from an LG lift, Kevin Jackson backs up Allen in studying the process in order to protect the adjacent business building that sat directly next to the demolition site.
By PAMELA JANSSON
Bessemer - The end of an era, of sorts, occurred on July 10 when the old Gamble Hardware building and Rexall Pharmacy building were demolished in a single day on Bessemer's main street.
The action was a long time coming and was made possible, finally, by recently allotted funds from Michigan's State Land Bank Authority.
"It's kind of tough to watch it go down," said Jerry Strelcheck, who ran a hardware store there for many years, starting at the age of 18 when his father - the previous proprietor - passed away unexpectedly.
Strelcheck, who was sitting on the front porch of a neighboring house that he rents out to other residents, had a front row seat to the action.
For other onlookers, the razing at the corner of S. Sophie and E. Longyear streets, also prompted a myriad of memories.
Bob Nyman stopped on his Honda Elite, and John Winkowski stopped on his bicycle to watch the destruction for an extended time.
The two Bessemer residents remembered when the businesses in that locale were a thriving part of the community - places that they used themselves in younger days.
"I bought a bicycle from Gambles," said Winkowski, who also recalled a former restaurant in that area of town.
"They had the best chocolate malts at the Tip Top Cafe," he said as workers gradually dismantled the Gambles structure.
Other persons passing by in vehicles sometimes parked for a time at the side of the road to watch the building disappear.
According to interim city manager Mandy Lake, city records show that the property housed numerous businesses throughout the decades, including the following:
1888-1946: butcher, restaurant, dry goods store, boots and shoes store, drug store, jewelry store, harware store, saloon, grocer, furniture store
1992: individual listing (records unclear)
1995-2005 Gamble Hardware Store
2005: discount clothing store
From 2008 forward, the property was registered as vacant.
Despite the celerity with which the demolition occurred, it was not a wrecking ball moment for employees of Ruotsala Construction Inc., the Ironwood company that was the main contractor for the job.
"Everything's got to be methodical," said Rick Carlson, who operated an excavator throughout the project.
Toward that end, he spent the afternoon carefully peeling away layer after layer of the Gambles building. The adjacent pharmacy structure had been obliterated that morning.
Occasionally, Carlson would rock back and forth on the excavator rollers, merely to mash and crunch any fallen materials in his path, so that the debris did not pile up too high.
Rick Allen, project director, said there was nothing to salvage from the old building. "It's all dry-rotted wood," he said.
He added that such jobs sometimes can be enjoyable for his staff but not so much on that occasion.
"It's fun when another building is not so close," he said, referring to the Gambles building immediate proximity to the law firm of Korpela and Kauppi.
In order to assure no damage to the neighboring building, Allen stuck close to the excavator, directing Carlson as he tackled one area after another.
Once the north wall of the Gambles building was removed, and the intact wall of the law firm was exposed, Allen called out, "W've got the hard one done now."
As the building came down, piece by piece, other construction laborers worked as a team to deliver needed supplies, move equipment, supervise from other vantage points, back up with additional excavators, and assist by any other means needed.
Devin Carlson and Kevin Jackson took turns operating a hose, so as to keep the dust down throughout the day.
At one point, a couple of clueless rock doves floated to the last-standing broken eaves to take a break from their flight.
Jackson gently spritzed them with the hose to nudge them into seeking other, safer respite.
In the middle of the afternoon, Ben Tucker, who directs Bessemer's Department of Public Works, stood with Gogebic County treasurer Lisa Hewitt to admire the progress.
Hewitt, who worked to qualify the county for the state Land Bank funds, was pleased with the long-awaited results, hailing workers for their "amazing" skill.
The Land Bank issued a $40,000 grant to make the job possible. The funds also covered the removal of a burned house on U.S. 2.
