Demolition of the Parish Hall is officially under way. It began at 7 a.m. Monday, April 12 with the arrival of the Project Manager and Superintendent, Duane Krehbiel and Brooke Eimers of J.E. Dunn Construction. Contractors and laborers soon followed.
A lot of the first day was spent reviewing the plans and marking areas of the building and fixtures either for demolition or salvage. Evidence of anything actually being taken apart at the end of the first day was relatively small, but notes all over the building indicated "save" or "demo."
Removal of the linoleum flooring on the ground floor of the parish hall revealed a really interesting floor. It looks a little like a basketball court - not intentionally. According to our architect, Susan Richards Johnson this type of floor covering was frequently used in public buildings in the 1920s and 1930s. As the renovation progresses, it will be removed and replaced with oak flooring, but it was fun to see it this reminder of the days of Fr. Merrill or maybe even Fr. Stewart-Smith. Thomas Pain and Mary Ursula Miller probably walked on this floor.
On the second day a 22 foot dumpster arrived to hold debris from the demolition. With the 8 foot door open, it occupies a big space in the east parking lot. The crew started to fill it up that day.
As the basement restroom area was demolished, all kinds of little surprises were uncovered. The discovery of additional lower layers of floor tile that will have to be removed, columns where they weren't anticipated and all the strange surprises that go along with working on a very old building.
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