Gambles building demolished

  • Thursday was an historic day for downtown Aurora as demolition of the Gambles building began at 8 a.m. and was mostly done before noon.
    Thursday was an historic day for downtown Aurora as demolition of the Gambles building began at 8 a.m. and was mostly done before noon.
  • Here's an aerial perspective of Thursday's demolition taken by ANR drone specialist Ron Burtz.
    Here's an aerial perspective of Thursday's demolition taken by ANR drone specialist Ron Burtz.
  • Two excavators were used to help control how and where bricks and debris from the Gambles building fell to the ground.
    Two excavators were used to help control how and where bricks and debris from the Gambles building fell to the ground.
  • The is the scene before demolition began Thursday morning. The pile of bricks in lower left portion of the photo is what fell to the ground in June, prompting the city to eventually deem the structure an "unsafe building," which lead to the demolition.
    The is the scene before demolition began Thursday morning. The pile of bricks in lower left portion of the photo is what fell to the ground in June, prompting the city to eventually deem the structure an "unsafe building," which lead to the demolition.
  • Three hours later, this was the revised view of the east side of the square.
    Three hours later, this was the revised view of the east side of the square.
  • The east side of the downtown square looks drastically different as of today, with the Gambles building now reduced to rubble.
    The east side of the downtown square looks drastically different as of today, with the Gambles building now reduced to rubble.
  • ANR's Kurt Johnson and Bekah Mead wave from their vantage point where they documented the demolition of the old Gambles building.
    ANR's Kurt Johnson and Bekah Mead wave from their vantage point where they documented the demolition of the old Gambles building.

    The former Gambles building on the east side of the square in Aurora was reduced to a pile of brick and debris Thursday, all in a matter of hours. 

    Demolition started at about 8 a.m., with a Mid-Nebraska Land Developers crew using a large excavator and second support vehicle to push, pull and shove portions of the walls and roof to the ground. With a crowd of 20 or more watching from the courthouse square, and another 7,500+ watching via ANR's Facebook Live feed, the back half of the structure was down by 10:30 a.m. After a brief break the crew attacked the more delicate aspect of the job, which was to bring down the walls of the front portion of the building with a business located just below to the north.

    Final push video

    With a few precisely placed shoves from the excavator, a majority of the front walls fell inward, leaving a cloud of dust spilling into the street below. Less than three hours after it started, the demolition process was mostly completed. Crews remained on site until late in the day pulling pieces away from the joint walls on buildings both to the north and the south.

    Reduced to rubble

    Watch for more detailed ANR coverage, including input and reactions from city officials, neighboring business owners as well as the demolition crew. ANR staff also captured the demolition process in time-lapse photography and will be posting that condensed version of the day's historic events soon.

    A demolition 360

    Timelapse video