Community reflects as building comes down
A sporadic thud reverberated throughout Hordville on a chilly morning Jan. 19. Residents could be seen walking around the former school building as a construction crew chipped away at the exterior walls. By the end of the day, the building was knocked down with clean-up crews coming in at a later date to clear the lot.
There throughout the whole process was Hordville Village Board member and 1978 graduate Rod Blase, who shared his thoughts after watching the building come down.
“It was a mixed emotion,” he said. “Some people I’m sure were sad to see it go but I guess I just tell people, and I think they will all agree that your memory is in your heart or your mind and it’s not really in the building. It’s just someplace you went to school.”
Blase noted that he has been pushing community members to see the positive aspects of the change and that he wants people to understand that the building was not doing anybody any good.
“It’s going to change the landscape in Hordville quite a bit, but it will be nice,” Blase voiced. “We’re going to have to do a lot of work though. I knew that when we saw the event center. We’re going to have to put in windows and things like that so it will require a lot of money.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” he continued. “We’ve got a big part done, but now we’ve got to rebuild the other building to make it better. Everybody’s got good ideas so it will be fun.”
While it has been stressful for board members and the town, Blase knew that it was going to work out well in the end. He noted that they are on the right track to put it back together and make the change a positive one for the community.
“I think in about a year from now, hopefully less, we’re all going to say, ‘Boy, we should have done this 20 years ago,’” he stated. “You look around different towns and if there’s an old school building, and I see a lot, they just sit there and they don’t do anybody any good.”
Looking at the overall experience, Blase said G&G Dozer was able to complete the demolition without any damage to the event center. He reported that in the coming weeks a brick salvaging crew will come in and keep all the bricks that are worth money, then discard the rest.
While the bulk of the school will be disposed of, he explained that the letters of the school were salvaged. They will find a new home inside the event center.
The demolition became a community event, as Blase was in contact with many of his fellow alumni throughout the day. He noted that there was a steady stream of people driving by to take pictures and share their stories of their time at Hordville High.
“It was a solemn day, but yet it was known that the day was coming,” he reflected. “It wasn’t like it was sad. I was kind of relieved in a way to finally get it going because we had been wanting to do this for a few years now. We finally made a strong push for it and we got it done. I think everybody had, not a good time, but they had an interesting day to say the least.”
Moving forward, he explained that they are now going to do repair work on the event center from where it was cut off from the school. The former hallway will be turned into a service entrance.
Blase added they have reached the point where they are in the project thanks to donations from local people. While the project is still underway, he noted that they are accepting donations for the work that is left.
“You can contact Scott Simonsen at First State Bank,” he reported. “He’s our town clerk and would work with you. We have a memorial board where we put up people’s names if they want to donate so much. You don’t have to donate $1,000, if you want to donate $25 we’d be happy to take it and be very grateful.”
When it comes to what will be done with the new area, Blase voiced that they are open to ideas on what could be done. He noted that they can’t do everything everybody wants to do, but that it is nice to get ideas from people in the community.
“You know it’s the Hordville Event Center and we do it for the community,” he said. “It’s pretty much down there just for the people. That’s how it’s always been and that’s how it’s always going to be. We will probably never make money on it, but that’s the way it is. We’re not in for profits.”
Community thoughts
Fellow alumni Rhonda Schulze took a moment to share her thoughts on watching the school building come down. For her, it was more than just watching as a student, since she had been the school secretary before the merger with Polk and Clarks.
“I was there for the whole thing practically,” she recalled. “It’s sad. I guess it felt like being with a family member you knew was dying. You just wanted to be there.
“About the last thing they demolished was the front entrance,” she observed. “You could still see the remains of ‘High School’ above the door so when that went down I knew HHS was gone. That was part of our lives for so long you just hate to see it go.”
Looking at the remaining event center, Schulze noted that it has been a great place for weddings, family get-togethers and the alumni banquet, something she is thankful for.
She also explained that on the day the building went down that those who came to say good-bye weren’t alone. The community gathered, reminisced and took photos, she said.
Bill Anderson, president of the First State Bank in Hordville, added that as long as he has worked at the bank he has seen the old, school building outside.
“It’s one of those things that it was hard to see the thing get torn down,” he said. “Mostly because it changed the skyline of Hordville. It was sad to see that it had to get torn down, but I realized that it was necessary right now.”
Now that the lot is open, he noted that he is excited about how the space will help the event center in whatever way it is utilized.
“The village board has done a good job of getting this thing done and I praise them for their work on this matter,” Anderson voiced. “It was something that we knew was going to have to happen at some point and actually getting the job done is the hard part. We look forward to how it will benefit the ease of access to the event center and look for that to keep going for years and years into the future.”
Jan Quick-Messman, Class of 1969 alumni, shared how the change to the community impacted her.
“Gone physically, but never gone from my memory,” she said. “Every square inch of that dear building I have etched in my mind. Images of learning, music appreciation, respect, teamwork, friendship, love of God and country and love of Hordville.
“In my final walk-through, just before the building came down, I took several photos, but one poignant image for me was where I was standing, in my classroom, when I heard the news of the death of President John F. Kennedy,” she continued. “We made lifelong friendships there with classmates and teachers. I try to keep track of all former graduates for our alumni. This was a life-building experience.”