After 22 months, Lincoln Street is reopened and Lincoln Place is no more
The deconstruction of Lincoln Place has opened up what is a distinctive stone wall on the building to the north.
by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Thursday evening, Wellington downtown drivers could do something they haven’t been able to do since July 2016 — travel on Lincoln Street from Washington to Jefferson Ave.
It’s as if a whole new world has opened and Wellington downtown has become fully accessible again.
The road blocks were removed late Thursday, and the town rediscovered the convenience of driving eastbound and westbound on one of the more heavily traveled streets in town. Admit it. You on more than one occasion inadvertently turned left from Jefferson forgetting the road was blocked and had to back up.
Wellington Regent Theatre owner Jerry Fike is very happy this morning.
“We couldn’t be more happy that the street has been reopened,” said an elated Jerry Fike, owner of the nearby Regent Theater. “Although it is sad to see a historical building such as Lincoln Place come down, we are excited to have the street and see what changes are in store across the street.”
Bradburn Wrecking Co. started the demolition process with Lincoln Place on Feb. 1 ending what was an 18-month process of what to do with the beleaguered building on the corner of Washington and Lincoln. The building was deemed a hazardous structure after a pool of water from a wet spring caused the roof to collapse — destroying the building’s interior.
Lincoln Street has once again become an important artery for downtown business.
Due to it being declared unstable by structural engineers, the adjacent street was blocked off in fear that the building could collapse.
This set off a lengthy process of determining whether the structure could be saved, what the owner at the time Steve Spevak of Wichita was planning on doing, and insurance negotiations. Even the Wellington City Council was split. In September council member Kip Etter expressed his desire to save the building or at least see what other options were out there (see story here).
The road closed signs were permanent fixtures on 107 W. Lincoln for 22 months much to the dismay of many.
But after ownership of the building was transferred to the city, the council decided on demolition.
Wellington City Manager Shane Shields said the city received a $285,900 insurance settlement. The cost of the demolition was $329,000 – thus resulting a total cost to the city being approximately $43,100.
The deconstructing of Lincoln Place started on Feb. 1 as it was official: the old Wellington Masonic Building would be no more.
At first the demolition process appeared to go all too slowly as visible progress seemed at a minimum. Shield said the demolition company was unsure how connected it was attached to the building to the north. There was great care as to not demolish the adjacent north wall.
“We honestly didn’t know what to expect,” Shields said. “But that took awhile. Once there was a degree of separation between the two buildings, things really took off.”
It was almost startling when the cranes came in on April 16 and the building started tumbling down. (Click on photo for larger version).
Cranes came in on April 16 and from that point forward the building was razed to the ground level and to the earth below in quick fashion.
Many people have been struck by what is a rather distinctive rock wall on the northern building with what appears to be faded out billboard advertising-like lettering that can only be seen clearly in the wee early morning hours or at sunset. It was obvious that Lincoln Place, built in 1910, was one of the newer if not the newest building on the block. How many year the other building was built, is a bit of a mystery to many.
Shields said there are still other issues to address. They will have to determine the condition of the street, which had not been used for 22 months, as well as the adjacent sidewalks. Then there is the question of what developer Tom McAlister plans to do with the property which is now a dirt pile.
But regardless of past and future controversies for the area, most everyone is in agreement: it is good to see Lincoln Street reopened.
