Demolition Reprieve for Rohling Inn

Lynn Volkens

2/3/2005 - Black Hawk’s historic Rohling Inn building received a “stay of demolition” order at City Council’s meeting on January 26^th. Only five days earlier, the general consensus of the engineering, architectural, and construction experts was that the building might collapse at any moment. Fitzgerald’s Casino has been renovating the building to use as administrative office space. Excavation work near the rear of the building, it was thought, had caused a shift in the rubble stone foundation at the southeast corner, pulling the building out of plumb. On Thursday, January 20^th, while workmen were engaged in removing a cement veneer leftover from an old exterior stairway, that corner of the building collapsed. No one was hurt, but the building was deemed unsafe and it was necessary to close Gregory Street, the main artery into and through Black Hawk, while the building was cordoned off. An emergency meeting of Black Hawk City Council on Friday afternoon had resulted in a vote by the Aldermen, to demolish the building and replicate it, as it was thought the building was too unstable to save. Ironically, it was the collapse of more of the building that changed its fate.

   On Saturday, January 22^nd, another portion of the east wall collapsed. Unexpectedly, it did not pull the rest of the building down with it, as had been anticipated. Subsequent professional engineering inspections determined the front portion of the building and the west wall were stable enough to shore up with exterior and interior steel bracing. Then Gregory Street could be reopened while reconstruction of the rear portion of the building continues.

   Of greatest concern to City Aldermen and casino owners, is the reopening of Gregory Street. Black Hawk Station Casino has been particularly impacted. It sits directly across from the Rohling Inn. As a safety precaution for pedestrians, the sidewalk along the front of Black Hawk Station has been covered with a plywood tunnel. Not only is egress hampered, the doors to the casino are not visible from the street and business has declined, said owner Ed Smith. Other casinos have also been adversely affected, mainly because traffic has been rerouted up Selak Street and down Bobtail Street. Construction at the south end of town has caused further traffic jams and delays. Medill Barnes, representing the Casino Association, said the impact to the casinos had been overwhelming. He asked that Aldermen waive all restrictions to having the stabilizing process go ahead with work done 24 hours per day, seven days per week, so that engineers and contractors can get Gregory Street open again as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Aldermen asked that the first block of Gregory, from Highway 119 to Main Street be opened so that traffic could access the casinos along Main Street.

   Jerry Maly, Fitzgerald’s engineer, gave Aldermen an estimate of one-two weeks for getting the building shored up, resulting in a target date of February 11^th, to re-open Gregory Street. That’s if there are no weather or other unforeseen delays. If engineers find any reason that would delay re-opening Gregory Street, Aldermen asked that the City be notified immediately. In that case, full demolition may again be ordered, if it is found to be the quickest way to open the street.

   Sean McCartney, Director of the City’s Community Planning and Development Department, said Tuesday that the support beams for the footers of the exterior braces had arrived and workmen were jack-hammering positions for the bracing into the frozen ground. He is happy there is hope for the building, “It just doesn’t want to come down,” he said, praising the integrity of the original construction. When asked if the work would go on round the clock, McCartney said that lighting problems (especially on the interior of the building) might preclude that during the stabilization process. The snow may have caused some delay, but not enough, at least so far, to endanger getting the stabilization done before the February 11^th deadline.