Former Gundersen Lutheran building gone

Becky Walz
News Editor
bwalz@fayettepublishing.com

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Numerous Ossian residents watched intently as the former Gundersen Lutheran building was brought to the ground Thursday by Reilly Construction employees.

First to go was the building’s roof and then, little by little, the trees that surrounded the brick building were brought to the ground, loaded on trucks and hauled away to make room for the debris that was yet to come.

As the excavator closed in on the former medical clinic one observer noted, “Just imagine how many lives were saved in that clinic.”

By 3 p.m., construction workers had begun pulling the bricks away from the building and moved in on the structure.

Onlookers filled the street across and in a nearby alley, including Terry Linderbaum, who worked in the clinic for 20 years.

“I was disappointed to see the building come down. I was hoping they could have kept the building, but I realize that it can’t always happen. It was the end of an era that many of us that have grown up in the community have become accustomed to — we hate to see our downtown buildings disappear,” said Linderbaum.

Plans for the empty space that Luana Savings Bank has cleared are still underway for possible future development, according to Vice President Joe Kriener.

“When we have a definite plan for the site, whether it be a building or expansion, we will make a public announcement,” said Kriener.