UPDATE: Historic Mitchell courthouse coming down

OSAGE | Whether you wanted the demolition of the Mitchell County Courthouse, there was one thing everyone could agree on Tuesday: It was the biggest show in town.

Streets bordering the 1858 structure the center of lots of debate in the county for the past year were lined with onlookers with cameras and memories. Two television stations appeared to film the progress.

They should have kept it, said Dennis Fischer of Mitchell, who sat in his truck with his mom, Bonnie, to watch Dore and Associates Contracting, Inc., of Bay City, Wis., begin the demolition.

A digger began tearing away at the southwest and west side of the structure before moving to the south side.

Its a straight building, Fischer added, watching the progress. They should have fixed it.

Over 150 years of bricks, wood, insulation and lots of light brown dust mushroomed from the building as the machinery continued to claw at the building. Parts of old vaults could be seen laying nearby; some bricks were being salvaged and placed on pallets. The building was among the oldest courthouses in Iowa and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Demolition is expected to take two days, according to one unidentified worker. The front of the building and cupola being the last to be brought down, he said.

Im like one of those grumpy Muppets, telling everyone what theyre doing wrong, admitted another bystander, who declined to give his name. But yeah, its historic. Its sad. I think a lot of people hate to see it go. But its like someone died and the spirit is gone. This is just a site now. Its no longer a courthouse.

Here is how I feel: Whether you keep the old one or build a new one, I am more worried about the money spent in the meantime. Many nearby agreed it would cost too much to preserve the structure.

The courthouse will be replaced with a new structure that is estimated to cost about $7.2 million. Approval by voters of a new building failed in a recent election, but the Board of Supervisors pledged to go ahead with construction anyway.

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UPDATE: Historic Mitchell courthouse coming down