The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Laurie Magee, Quill Reporter
The buildings on Main Street formerly known as La Cakery, and The Outfitters that were destroyed by fire on July 18, 2000 are set for demolition soon.
The City of La Harpe, owners of the building, hired Housewright Construction for the job. Steel structures will need to be erected to support the side walls as well as a covering to protect the remaining outer walls from further damage due to weather.
A meeting was held Monday, September 29, 2008 in front of the buildings with Mayor Kenny Brown, Todd Irish, Pauline Jones, Phil Carpenter and Derek Helmers to discuss insurance policies, look over the structures, and to take pictures.
Mayor Brown stated that the building should be down within 2-3 weeks providing there are no complications with the structure and weather permitting.
City Councilmen Todd Irish said that after the structure has been secured and the debris has been removed the vacant lot will be auctioned off.
For safety issues the buildings have been barricaded off by fencing. Those peering in the windows of the former businesses, can see the ceiling of The La Cakery has completely fallen in as well as the flooring, and day light can be seen from above and through the back wall.
The Outfitters is a burnt-out shell, with what looks like burnt insulation, ceiling tiles, and pieces of this and that lying all over.
In a way, some may feel it'll be sad to see the buildings torn down, as they would remind one of the times their families would go in and get those home made freshly baked cookies from Libby and Anita or have the convenience of going to The Outfitters to buy clothes and look at the styles of turquoise jewelry they offered.
But for the future of La Harpe, an always changing community, the buildings are being demolished to make room for, hopefully, a new business owner in La Harpe.
Also, this week, the former La Harpe locker plant is being demolished, one block south of Main Street.