ROCKFORD — The nearly 114-year-old former Elks Lodge No. 64 met its fate Monday morning, ending a monthslong saga that had City Council members debating whether the historic structure could be saved.
Demolition crews with Northern Illinois Service Co. began work at 6 a.m. to tear down the property at the corner of Jefferson and Main streets in downtown. The structure itself is expected to come down over the course of a couple days with cleanup following.
“How the chunks come off will determine the cleanup part. It’s precision, a little bit, because of location,” said Sarah Leys, director of community and economic development for the city. “There’s not other land that they can push it on to. So they’re going to have to start cleanup in the middle of it and take it out all along the way.”…