Longtime Butler Landmark To Be Demolished After Fire
BUTLER (KDKA) -- A persistent fire burned for hours in an old Butler building, on the night of March 11. Seven months later, empty shells of the Worsley Store and Apartments stand vacant.
But they won't be standing much longer.
Demolition is slated to begin next week. Third generation owners Keri Dolan and her sister, Chelsea Worsley, sort through photographic memories in black and white.
"My grandfather started it in 1927, selling wallpaper," Keri says. "In '63, my father took over."
Keri and Chelsea's father expanded into adjacent buildings, and business was thriving. It was, in effect, a general store.
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"We started out with the wallpaper, expanded into paint," Keri adds. "Unfinished furniture. Then we expanded into dolls. My mom had a big interest in dolls and toys."
Though they closed the store and rented out the building two years ago, the two sisters were shocked to see it burn.
"We were out there all day, watching it," Keri recalls. "It was pretty sad."
Rebuilding from the ground up will be more efficient and cost effective than rehabbing. But demolition of a building this size doesn't happen overnight. The excavation crew estimates it may take four to six weeks. On the first day of demolition, Keri Dolan says she and her sister may get former employees and customers together, for a final goodbye.
"And maybe do a toast to the building, with a bottle of champagne."
