In the name of progress, an Elgin landmark came tumbling down Thursday morning.
The building immediately north of the Elgin Knights of Columbus Hall, the structure which was the home of Clip’N Curl and Main Street Clippers for many years, was torn down.
Owners of the building, the Elgin Men’s Charitable Corporation (EMCC), had in the previous weeks and months, cleaned out the structure so that all that was left when Rutjens Construction began work Thursday morning at approximately 9 a.m., was the shell of the building. By the end of the day, there was very little left to know that a building had once stood there.
Many people are curious what the future plans are for the space. As reported in The Elgin Review 10 months ago, the area will be used to expand the KC Hall. While there is no timetable for the expansion to be completed, this is an important first step so that work can move forward with the project. As reported in August 2017, the Knights have been exploring for a number of years how to expand the seating capacity and improve the efficiency of the K.C. Hall. The EMCC negotiated with Millie and Jerry Mundorf and an agreement was reached last August for the transfer of ownership. Due to structural issues, the EMCC decided to demolish the building, hence the completion of that phase of the project Thursday.
One thing that’s for certain, there’s an empty space in downtown Elgin. But, one day, it will be filled again with a new addition sure to benefit the community.
