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2001
Watertown Daily Times, 05 03 2001
Globe Mill Fire
2001
130-year-old
mill building burns
A part-owner
of Empire Globe Corp. of Watertown said this morning that he had big plans for
the former Globe Mill on South Water Street, which went up in flames today.
"We had
hopes it could be restored," said Larry Mistele, part-owner of the
company, which owns much of the property on South Water Street. Mistele said he
also had hopes of operating some type of commercial venture in the historic
building.
One possibility was to operate a
micro-brewery, the part-owner said this morning as he watched flames whip in
the smoky air above the charred, collapsing building.
"It's a
shame. It would have been a neat pub brewery. The ambiance would have been
incredible," he said.
The building
at 321 S. Water St. was built in 1871, Mistele said. At that time it was called
the Empire Mill, he said. It was later known as the Globe Mill. A to Z Farm
Center then purchased the building, Mistele said. That company sold seed, dairy
equipment and other items there, he said.
The
structure is a historic building with some "pretty neat stuff,"
Mistele said. The structure contained large floor joists made of pine and maple
timber, he said. In the past the mill was powered by the lower dam, he said.
Empire
purchased the building from A to Z Center about eight years ago, Mistele said.
Empire used the building for storage, he said.
Flames continued
to rise from the former Globe Mill on South Water Street this morning as a
state fire marshal searched the scene for a cause of the fire that completely
destroyed the historic building.
As of late
morning, the Watertown Fire Department was unable to explain why the
fast-burning fire occurred, pushing flames through the building's roof. Acting
Fire Chief Keith Becken said the department suspected someone intentionally set
it.
This
morning, the smell of scorched pine and maple timber drifted through moist air
as firefighters and onlookers watched tiny embers, flames, and black and gray
plumes push out of the collapsing structure. Smoke blackened the sides of the
building.
Watertown
resident Sandi Haseleu watched in disappointment as bricks on parts of the
130-year-old structure crumbled. "This is like a funeral," she
said, snapping pictures. "Another old landmark is gone."
Haseleu said
she once toured the building with the Watertown Historical Society and
describes the building as "unbelievable." She said grain bins and
pulleys inside the building were interesting. She found the names of people
from years ago written on walls.
"Someone
told me that you remember your hometown not only by its people, but also its
buildings," she said.
Firefighters
responded at about 11:55 p.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival, fire shot through the
roof. The structure was engulfed in flames, Becken said at about 9:15 a.m.
today. He had been at the scene for about nine hours.
The former
Globe Mill was built in 1871 and is owned by Empire Globe Corp. of Watertown.
That company purchased the structure about eight years ago from A to Z Farm
Center, which sold seed, dairy equipment and other items, Empire's part-owner
Larry Mistele said.
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