ATLANTA, Idaho (AP) - The largest building in a rural central Idaho community has collapsed under the weight of snow.
Artist and teacher Kerry Moosman learned that the roof of the Atlanta Club, in Atlanta, Idaho, had collapsed, ruining years of work he has done to restore the building, The Idaho Statesman reported Monday (https://bit.ly/2jYEUjH).
The Atlanta Club was the largest building in the former mining town at the base of Greylock Mountain, located about 130 miles east of Boise. The town has become an artists’ colony and Moosman stores his collections, historic bottles and other valuable items there. Moosman had been renovating the Atlanta Club since he purchased the building in 1999.
The club has a long past in the small town. It was built by a Yugoslavian bootlegger in 1941 and once housed a nightclub and bar.
“Everything in the building was 150 years old,” said Moosman, including old shop cases, the club’s original bar and back bar. “It was iconic. Something straight out of the Old West.”
Moosman said he can’t go survey the damage himself, as the roads to Atlanta are closed for the winter. He says when he is able he will go see what he can salvage.
Losing the Atlanta Club is a blow to the community, said part-time Atlanta resident Rachel Reichert, a manager at the James Castle House and community relations manager for the Boise City Department of Arts and History.
“If Atlanta had a mayor, it would be Kerry. And if Atlanta had a town hall, it would be the Atlanta Club,” said Reichert.
Moosman, who grew up in Atlanta, is the unofficial historian of the community. He keeps artifacts, newspaper articles and more about the small town. All of those records are endangered because of the collapse.
“I’m hoping we can come together with an immediate action plan to get things out of the building,” said Reichert. Plans are also in the works for a future fundraiser for repairs.
___
Information from: Idaho Statesman, https://www.idahostatesman.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.