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Riley's Irish Pub Collapses!


Years ago, the buildings adjoining Riley's to the east had collapsed and a parking lot was constructed in that spot. However, what was now the east wall of Riley's was never intended to be an exterior wall and what was perhaps inevitable began to happen:  The middle of the wall started collapsing this summer. In early June, "Snaps" Hulver '55 recorded the progress of disintegration in these pictures:



It was obvious that things were not going well and the Pub's operations were moved to the Southeast corner of 11th Street and Franklin Ave, where an old frame house occupies the lot that formerly contained Dr. Wilcoxon's veterinary practice.



Then, early in the morning -- about 2:30 AM -- of August 1st, Riley's Irish Pub collapsed!


 Photos courtesy Wally Hulver '55

The photo on the left shows the wreckage in the morning, probably around 10 AM. By 3 PM, when the photo on the right was taken, complete demolition was being undertaken for reasons of safety.

As Your Faithful Scribe has recorded in the newsletter, in an eerie coincidence, the owner of Riley's Irish Pub, Katherine VanAmburg '61, passed away a few hours after the early morning collapse...