2009 Year in Review

And The Wall Came Tumbling Down

No one was sure if or when, but the fear has been there for months. Just before midnight on Sunday, May 17 the east side of the building located at 101 West Main came down. The building, which has been in controversy for months as to what, would happen and could it be saved, gave way leaving a pile of bricks and debris.

A press release on January 29th, 2009 stated:

Working under the authority of a court order, the City of Morrison engaged a private contractor to shore the interior of all four levels of the building at 101 West Main Street beginning today. This was undertaken to prevent a potential collapse of either or both of the floor and roof of the structures at 101 and 103 West Main Street in the event that the east exterior wall of former should further deteriorate or fail.

This set of buildings, known when constructed as "The Brick Block," were the first "permanent" buildings constructed in Morrison and remain now as probably the oldest of the few three-story, nineteenth century buildings constructed in Whiteside County. They are over 150 years old.

by Dawn Zuidema, theCity1.com
May 18, 2009