Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
The Iron County Memorial Building has included the post home of the Hurley American Legion since it was dedicated 90 years ago this month.
HURLEY - The Iron County Memorial Building marked its 90th birthday earlier this month.
Long the post home of the Hurley American Legion, the building has hosted many gatherings, private and public, large and small over the decades.
The building was dedicated on Nov. 11, 1928 - then Armistice Day, now Veterans Day - with a very large ceremony, according to Joe Walesewicz, a member of the Memorial Building's Restoration Committee.
The idea was to create a building to honor those who had fought and died in World War I, but other conflicts as well. It took just less than a year to get the job done.
On Nov. 26, 1927, the Iron County Board of Supervisors voted to appropriate $50,000 to build such a structure and appointed a committee of county board supervisors and American Legion members to select a site and formulate plans for the building.
"It was the sentiment of the county board and Legion members that the Memorial Building should be erected near the county courthouse so the main buildings in the county would be close together," said Walesewicz.
The building committee called for bids and two proposals were received on Dec. 14. Four lots at the old ballpark east of the courthouse were offered by Frank Gentile at a price of $3,800. Lots on the corner of Copper Street and Third Avenue were offered for $10,000 by Nels LaFave and Margaret Sullivan.
On Dec. 17, the board of supervisors voted in favor of financing the building. The local American Legion post did not have a building fund and it would have taken many years to raise the funds required to build the Memorial Building, according to Walesewicz.
On Dec. 29, the building committee recommended the purchase of Gentile's four lots, and on Jan. 18, 1928, the county board approved the purchase.
The building committee of county board chairman Daniel Reid, and supervisors R.A. Angst and George B. Gerry were placed in charge of construction.
N. Albert Nelson of Ironwood was chosen as the architect and plans were approved by the county board on Jan. 21.
P.J. Nickel was the contractor for the building. Twin City Plumbing of Hurley and Hurley Electric Company did major work. Throughout the process, Frank Erspamer was the commander of the Hurley American Legion Post.
-Larry Holcombe
