Let the fall of Gambles bldg be a wake-up call to community

The demolishing of a once-thriving retail hub in downtown Aurora last week served as a vivid reminder of just how vital ongoing maintenance is to a structure’s long-term stability.
The former Gambles building served Aurora well in its prime, but that era has long since passed. Its removal was not only appropriate, but necessary. City leaders should be commended for taking decisive action to address a safety hazard, though the unfortunate reality is that taxpayers will likely end up footing the bill.
* Some may argue that old buildings help preserve a community’s heritage and must be maintained at all costs. You have to apply some common sense to that theory, however, and in this case there really was nothing left to save. That aging building was completely beyond repair and in fact had become a danger to neighboring property owners and anyone passing by.
If this needs to serve as a wake-up call to those who own other aging buildings, then so be it. The lesson here is that if you want to preserve a structure for both its aesthetics and usefulness, you have to maintain it from year to year.
Asterisk alert: If the last two paragraphs sound familiar, it’s because I’ve written those words before in this space. This is a lesson still being learned — the hard way — here in Aurora.
Back in 2000, the Woodbine Building met a similar fate, even after state historical officials fought to prevent its demolition. It was eventually replaced by a bank that has served the community well for more than two decades. A few years later, the back wall of the Temple Craft Building collapsed, triggering a similar discussion. The News-Register faced criticism then for suggesting the building had been neglected, but the wall was eventually repaired, and current owners have since invested heavily in its preservation.
Look around downtown Aurora today and you’ll see more warning signs, including open windows, sagging roofs, deteriorating brickwork. These are red flags that demand attention.
Aurora is a vibrant, beautiful community, but keeping it that way requires diligence and regular maintenance. Preserving our historic charm and economic vitality means taking care of the properties we own.
Ignore the basics — timely roof repairs, window replacements, painting, tuck-pointing — and more buildings will end up like Gambles: too far gone, too late to save.
-- Kurt Johnson