Gambles building leveled in hours

Downtown demolition draws huge online audience, removes public safety hazard

A cascade of dust falls from the roof and second floor of the former Gambles Store building in downtown Aurora as two huge excavators bring down the building a little at a time.
A cascade of dust falls from the roof and second floor of the former Gambles Store building in downtown Aurora as two huge excavators bring down the building a little at a time.

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 cour…