Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Dom Construction is a specialty contractor firm specializing in siding installation. In a recent update, the agency shared the benefits of hiring professional siding contractors.

SeaTac, WA In a website post, Dom Construction has shared the benefits of hiring professionalSeaTac sidingcontractors.

Contractors help save time on remodeling projects because they use a team to complete the job quickly. Further, they already have all the tools needed to install your siding and the professional training to utilize them effectively. Experienced contractors know the best time of day to install the siding and what to do in cases of inclement weather.

Siding SeaTacprofessionals will install the siding correctly without issues. Customers will need to know how to clean and maintain the homes siding after finishing the work. The better the owner takes care of the siding, the longer it will last. Most siding lasts 20 years or more with proper care.

When a client consults experts, they benefit from their knowledge and expertise. Professionals can answer customers questions and help them decide the right type of siding to install. Of course, it can be difficult to make the right choices, especially with the many choices and a limited budget. The professionalsiding contractor in SeaTacalso advises on the legal and license matters that the local authority requires adherence to.

About Dom Construction

DOM Construction is a Seattle-based specialty contractor firm focusing on siding installation. The agency is dedicated to using the finest products and artisans. They bring over 25 years of experience to every job and custom design. The team provides siding for new construction or remodeling in commercial and residential applications. And the biggest assurance is that they will deliver quality work on time.

Media ContactCompany Name: Dom ConstructionContact Person: Larry BauschEmail: Send EmailPhone: (206) 870-0329Address:19600 Des Moines Memorial Dr City: SeaTacState: WACountry: United StatesWebsite: https://domconstruction.com/

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Dom Construction Highlights the Benefits of Hiring Professional Siding Contractors - Digital Journal

Sault Ste. Maries Home Siding Shops services and expertise go far beyond home siding

A few months shy of their twentieth anniversary, Home Siding Shop has become a trusted name for home exterior products and installation in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

In 2002, Home Siding Shop was founded by cousins Rocky and Dennis Lethbridge. Over the years, Rockys children as well as Dennis, have contributed to the family business. Current office staff includes owners Rocky and Dennis Lethbridge, Bob Ralph (sales), and Dennis children Dan Lethbridge (sales) and Cassandra Lethbridge (controller) at their shop located on 471 Korah Road.

Home Siding Shop is a family run business through-and-through, with staff only selling high-quality products they would use for their own homes.

When asked if they would be celebrating their twenty year anniversary in the new year, Rocky Lethbridge shared that the focus now is to simply getting back to serving the needs of customers post-lockdown.

We have a big showroom, so were able to display a lot. Rocky Lethbridge shared. Were always keeping up with what people want as far as colours and styles. The showroom helps customers see that in person, and get a feel for what they like and are looking for. We make sure we have everything on display and available. He elaborated, when asked about new home exterior trends.

Dont let the name fool you, Home Siding Shop offers many products and services outside of their recognized and respected home siding products and installation. Windows, doors, roofing, garage doors, awnings, eavestrough, soffit and fascia, are all offered with careful, quality home installation.

When asked how she feels Home Siding Shop is viewed by the public, Controller Cassandra Lethbridge shared, We are a locally owned business that you can rely on.

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Spotlight: Twenty years and one pandemic later, this local business continues to put customers first - SooToday

PEG Developments estimated the innovative shell for the building would speed up construction of the nine storey, 172 room hotel by upwards of ten weeks.

Robertson said having the panels built and fitted off-site streamlines installation.

It accelerates the construction process and basically eliminates construction waste on the site as well, Robertson said the the alternative to concrete siding.

Vancouver based Nexii Building Solutions is partnering with a Vancouver Island company to manufacture their panels throughout the Island, Robertson said.

Demand for their environmentally friendly panels is high, particularly in British Columbia.

Most people dont know that buildings are even worse than transportation for climate pollution and we have to fix that, Robertson said.

The Courtyard by Marriott hotel is scheduled to be completed later this year, which the City said aligns with its 10-year property tax exemption incentive offered for new and significantly renovated hotels.

Construction crews arrived on scene late in 2019 to ensure a building permit deadline did not lapse.

A new hotel beside the publicly owned conference centre is seen is integral to maximizing economic benefits of the facility.

Several unsuccessful suitors produced plans to build a hotel near the conference centre, but none came to fruition until shovels hit the ground with the current PEG Developments project.

The $22 million hotel will include a pool, lounge and fitness centre.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes

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Innovative green technology fast-tracks long-awaited Nanaimo hotel - Nanaimo News NOW

January 24 hearing set following LA Superior Court Judge ruling

By Dolores Quintana

The Santa Monica Bayside Owners Associations (SMBOA) petition to temporarily halt the demolition of Public Parking Structure 3 has been granted for now.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michelle L Beckloff, who previously granted SMBOAs petition for a temporary restraining order, also issued this preliminary injunction to the group in this case. The injunction does not compel the City to continue to operate Parking Structure 3, on 4th Street between Arizona Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. Both the City Council and The California Coastal Commission oppose this petition that seeks to block demolition of the structure to build new and affordable lower-income housing on the property.

Justice Beckloff wrote in the ruling, Based on a balance of the likelihood of success on the merits of the parties competing harms, the court finds Petitioner has demonstrated entitlement to a preliminary injunction during the pendency of the litigation. as quoted by The Santa Monica Lookout. SMBOA is required by the judges rulings in their favor to post a bond of $150,000 to cover the damages that could be awarded to the City if the plaintiffs lose the suit by Jan 24 at 5:00 p.m. or they will forfeit the temporary injunction relief.

Then on Jan. 28, the court will hold a hearing to make any changes to the bond amount based on the arguments that both sides present on the matter. Judge Beckloff wrote that the hearing will also set trial on the petition on an expedited basis.

This ruling came only days after the City Council agreed to engage EAH Inc. in an exclusive agreement to build the sustainable affordable housing on the site of Parking Structure 3 with the units aimed towards housing unhoused residents of Santa Monica. City Officials said that EAH was identified as the developer to head this project based on the teams depth of experience in the areas of permanent supportive housing, larger developments, supportive services, and property management. as quoted by The Santa Monica Outlook.

EAHs proposal states that they would be responsible for the construction of the new housing and then would be in charge of the management of the property ensuring that all residents would be supported with services to ensure housing retention and good-neighbor actions, according to City Officials quoted by the Santa Monica Lookout. City officials further stated that The unique needs of the households occupying the supportive housing component of the development would be addressed by intensive case management services. As the development concept is further refined, supportive services will be designed to align with the needs of the residents.

The City Council also issued the directive to their staff and the developer to continue to work collaboratively on ways to move the affordable housing forward as quickly as possible. on the same day that they approved EAH as the developer for the project.

In fact, Mayor Sue Himmelrich made clear her views on the subject and said, Our region suffers from a dearth of affordable housing, and we in Santa Monica are committed to improving the crisis and getting people into housing that can be the foundation for stability. We arent waiting for private development to lead the way. We are leading by making available a precious resource that makes it possible - land. This is a project that addresses the biggest needs of the day, including homelessness, affordability, and equity, and reflects our communitys values, Himmelrich said.

The centerpiece of SMBOAs argument is that the City of Santa Monica and its business owners cannot afford to lose the 337 parking spaces in Parking Structure 3. The Citys response is that the rebuilding of Parking Structure Six replaced that potential loss. SMBOAs lawsuit further alleges that the California Coastal Commissions ruling to grant permission to the demolition erred in granting the permit because the legal requirement wasnt met. according to the groups legal counsel.

Judge Beckloffs ruling countered that assertion by saying that the dispute before the court as presented by the Petitioner is somewhat confused because it fails to specifically address any alleged legal error or abuse of discretion. Judge Beckloff did agree, however, that the petition has sufficiently demonstrated [that] the City considered the demolition of PS 3 only in the context of rebuilding without its reconstruction.

City spokesperson Constance Farrell said, A final ruling is not likely on the merits until April, depending upon the final briefing schedule, which will be determined by the Court on January 28.

Original post:
Preliminary Injunction Granted to Halt Demolition Of Parking Structure 3 - SM Mirror - Santa Monica Mirror

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. -- Democrats are saying Republicans are dragging their feet in raising state workers' wages to $15 an hour.

Missouri employs more than 50,000 state workers and they are among the lowest-paid in the nation. The governor has given lawmakers a deadline of Feb. 1 to give employees a cost-of-living adjustment, but the legislation seems to be at a standstill.

During his State of the State address last week, Gov. Mike Parson called the economy "strong" thanks to Missouri's response to the pandemic.

"With a historic budget surplus and federal dollars coming into our state, we want to build on our past momentum to capture even greater opportunities for the future of Missourians," Parson said Wednesday. "We took a commonsense approach to the pandemic, never shut our businesses down, and have always had a conservative and balanced budget."

That $5.4 emergency supplemental budget includes a proposal to pass a 5.5% cost-of-living adjustment and $15 an hour minimum pay. Those increases are expected to cost $91 million this year and $218 next year.

"We just got to get competitive and really got to fill some of these jobs out there," Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, said. "Up my way, we have the Cameron Veterans Home that's only half capacity because they can only half-staff. There is a need to fill those jobs."

Two weeks ago, the House Budget Committee heard the legislation, which started to get the ball rolling on passing the increase, but since then, silence.

"I suspect there is some Republicans in-fighting over supporting it," said Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis.

"We might actually have to fight to defend the governor's proposal, a usual position for us to be in."

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NEW VIDEO: Demolition project to make way for new CoxHealth clinic - KOLR - OzarksFirst.com

Last summer, then-Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and City Manager Shelley Dickstein submitted a letter to the Treasury asking it to expand qualifying expenses to include blight removal, repairing sidewalks, property acquisition and community infrastructure investments.

The Treasury received more than 1,500 responses from cities and organizations across the nation about its spending eligibility guidelines, and many asked for changes and additions to the rules.

Whaley and Dickstein also urged the Treasury to allow communities to use rescue funds to construct public safety facilities, support and redevelop existing business districts and assist businesses, especially those owned by minorities or that are located in underserved communities.

A vacant and falling apart home in north Dayton. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

A vacant and falling apart home in north Dayton. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

The Treasury recently released its final rule, which the federal government and other groups say provides broader flexibility and more clear and simple eligibility rules.

The changes in the final rule provide greater certainty in many areas where the (National League of Cities) and its members sought clarity, and will help cities, towns and villages have more confidence as they spend their (State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds) funds, said Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of the NLC.

The final rule says eligible projects include improvements to vacant and abandoned properties through demolition, rehab, remediation of environmental issues and other investments.

The final rule also says funds can be used to help small businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic with loans, grants, technical assistance, counseling or other services.

Dayton has proposed spending about $15.8 million of its rescue funds to demolish about 850 housing units and $18.7 million on repairing, rehabbing and constructing new housing.

A pedestrian walks by vacant and deteriorating properties in north Dayton. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

A pedestrian walks by vacant and deteriorating properties in north Dayton. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

The city also plans to put $7 million toward a fund for loans for first-floor businesses in its business districts, and it also expects to offer $3.1 million to Black- and brown-owned businesses for capital investments.

The final rule provides broader flexibility in response to over 1,500 public comments, including comments that the city submitted, Shannon said. The final rule enumerates several eligible uses not explicitly contained in the earlier interim rule.

Shannon said city staff are still reviewing the entire 437-page final rule document to determine if all of the proposals in the Dayton Recovery Plan are eligible.

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Dayton cleared to spend millions in federal funds on demolition - Dayton Daily News

EVERETT Within a couple of years, Compass Healths Broadway campus could be transformed into a modern center for acute behavioral and mental health needs.

The Everett-based agency is finalizing designs for a four-story building as part of a multi-phase redevelopment. Plans for the 72,000-square-foot facility include a 16-bed inpatient evaluation and treatment center, a 24-hour crisis triage center with 16 beds, room for outpatient services, and office space.

About 130 behavioral health and medical employees are projected to treat 1,500 people annually in the new space.

It will enable our behavioral health professionals to keep community members engaged in treatment, prevent crises from escalating, and help stabilize clients well-being, Compass Health CEO Tom Sebastian said in a news release, so they can stay on track to achieve their goals for housing, employment, contributions to their communities and overall recovery.

Compass Health estimates building the facility will cost $50 million.

The current building between 33rd and 34th streets is a vestige of past use. Part of the building was a long-term care site for Bethany of the Northwest.

To make room for the new facility, Compass Health will have a contractor tear down the current building, including the 1920-built brick exterior section on the north end of the block.

City of Everett staff are reviewing the projects land use permits, spokesperson Kathleen Baxter said. Those must be approved before construction permits, which also include demolition work, can begin.

About 150 employees who work at the Broadway campus will be relocated during construction, Sebastian said. New or temporary sites are identified for most, he said.

Some will be in the first-floor office space at Andys Place, an 82-unit permanent supportive housing facility on the same block as the Broadway campus.

Others will take vacant space at other Compass Health facilities in Snohomish County or in new leased space in downtown Everett. Details on the latter were not finalized, but Sebastian said employees whose clients and work are based in Everett will stay in town.

It will be an immediate improvement, Sebastian told The Daily Herald. Anybody moving out of that building is moving into a better space.

All staff are expected to have new work sites by spring, when the agency aims to begin demolition. Compass Health doesnt expect significant disruption in client service and treatment, except for some limitations during moving days.

In the footprint of the old building, Compass Health envisions two more phases for development. Phase 2 includes a 16-bed involuntary treatment facility and a 16-bed crisis triage center.

Theres also a two-level parking garage with 28 stalls, according to permit application documents. But the size and number of parking spots could change, Sebastian said. Theres also parking for 20 bikes in the plan.

So far the state has committed $21 million toward construction, with the rest being made up by major donations and an upcoming capital campaign. Bonds could cover any any funding gap.

Beyond that, more permanent supportive housing could follow in Phase 3, after the early successes of Andys Place, which opened in May.

Phase 3 is in early concept work, Sebastian said.

City records show Compass Health is looking at a seven-story mixed-use building with 74 housing units in 41,200 square feet, an outpatient clinic and administrative offices.

Sebastian said he hopes the success of Andys Place helps Compass Health garner public support for more housing that has 24-hour staffing.

If we can show this can work I think we can overcome what some quarters may feel, Sebastian said.

Another 36 parking spots and 14 bike spaces are included.

Phase 3s exact size and use depends on the communitys needs at the time of its development, Sebastian said.

Ben Watanabe: bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3037; Twitter @benwatanabe.

Correction: An earlier version misstated the size of the Phase 2 building, which is planned for 72,000 square feet.

Gallery

Compass Healths Broadway campus occupies two facilities, including one built in 1920, in Everett. They could be demolished this spring to make way for a new four-story, 82,000-square-feet facility. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Looking northwest, a rendering of the proposed Compass Health Broadway Campus Redevelopments next phase, an 82,000 square feet building with a behavioral health clinic with a 16-bed inpatient center and a 16-bed crisis triage center. (Ankrom Moisan Architects)

A rendering of the Compass Health Broadway Campus Redevelopment looks southwest at the building. The facility is planned for 82,000 square feet with a behavioral health clinic with a 16-bed inpatient center and a 16-bed crisis triage center. (Ankrom Moisan Architects)

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Demolition eyed in spring for Compass Health Broadway campus | HeraldNet.com - The Daily Herald

Built between 1956-1981 in central Bratislava, the Istropolis House of Trade Unions was originally designed to host Communist Party congresses. Designed by Ferdinand Konek, Ija Skoek, and ubomr Titl, the main building is a monolith of grey marble. Step inside, however, and youll find a patchwork of amenities: a cultural and congress centre, an office tower, a science centre, a theatre, an atrium, and a fountain.

The socialist-era building was constructed on the back of another structure, Berchtolds Palace. Built in 1832, the palace was demolished just as Istropolis was finished.

Now, history is set to repeat itself, and Istropolis itself is now set for demolition. The structure will be replaced by a new project, New Istropolis: a glass tower designed by the Dutch firms KCAP and CITYFRSTER. The new hub will encompass a cultural centre, as well as office spaces, residential buildings, a congress hotel, and an adjacent garden. Architects plan to maintain some elements of the old centre by keeping the artworks and repurposing some materials, such as the marble facade of the existing hall and the tropical timber panels.

Nevertheless, the demolition has been criticised by The Association of Slovak Architects, among others, who consider Istropolis key to Bratislavas history and culture. A petition denouncing Istropoliss destruction has been signed by almost 11,000 people. As of yet, however, developers plans remain unchanged, and demolition works have already started.

Excerpt from:
The end of Istropolis: the modernist Slovak landmark doomed to demolition | Concrete Ideas - The Calvert Journal

Land Bank gets state funds for eyesore demolition

FREMONTTo spruce up some of the city's neighborhoods and eliminate blight, Mayor Danny Sanchez had hoped to start an ambitiousbuilding teardown program in 2020.

COVID-19 derailed the mayor's plans.

But now Sanchez and city officials hope, with help from a new Sandusky County Land Bank-administered program, they can tear down 10-12 dilapidated houses this year.

Brian Woods, the land bank's coordinator, saidThursday the land bank was awarded $500,000 in grant funds through the state's Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program for residential buildings and $1 million for commercial sites.

Beacon of light: Port Clinton Lighthouse keeps growing stronger, preserving historic local icon

Thestate program is designed to provide grants for the demolition of commercial and residential buildings and revitalization of surrounding properties.

Blighted, vacant or abandoned structures are eligible for demolition.

Woods stressed theprogram is for all of Sandusky County's cities, villages and townships, as well as individual landowners.

He said the land bank heard about the state program in December.

The land bank held a meeting with city, township and village officials within Sandusky County to explain the program and its process.

Cities, villages and townships will give the land bank a list of qualifying structures.

Woods said municipalities must file a nuisance order against blighted properties.

Bridge project: Creek Bend Farm bridge project gets boost from Clean Ohio grant

Earlier this month, Fremont City Council approved an ordinance to authorizeSafety Service Director Kenneth Frost to enter into a contract with the Sandusky County Land Bank for removing, repairing, or securing defective, abandoned, deserted, or open and vacant buildings or other structures within the City of Fremont.

Jim Melle, the city's law director, said the city hadbeen working to get money to take down dilapidated buildings and homes.

Frost released a list this week to the News-Messenger of 14 houses the city has identified as blighted.

All of the homes are listed as vacant.

Some of the owners, like the one of a house at 504 Morrison St., live out-of-town and owe several thousand dollars in back taxes.

Six are identified as a "public nuisance," with the others falling under "owner agreement" or "to be determined."

Frost said, with the owner agreement sites, city officials have spoken with the owners and received verbal permission to raze the properties.

"We're ready to roll on these properties," Frost said.

With properties identified as public nuisances, the city has to follow Ohio Revised Code statutes and give appropriate notice to property owners before it can be demolished.

Sanchez said at the council's Jan. 6 meeting the city is approachingowners of blighted buildings and trying to acquire those properties.

"We think it may be a stress relief for some of these property owners that are behind on their taxes," Sanchez said.

The mayor said the city's goal is to not use general fund money for acquisition or demolition unless it's an absolute emergency.

Woods said theland bank has agreements in place with Fremont and most of the county's cities, villages and townships.

He said eight individual land owners have already submitted requests to the land bank to demolish blighted, vacantstructures on their property.

There also have been applications submitted to demolish two vacant commercial properties, Woods said.

One of the commercial sites is the old Atlas building on Ohio 20 near Woodville.

"That's been an eyesore for 20 years," Woods said.

The other commercial site is on property on North Street in Fremont near Dickinson Street.

"We're excited about it," Woods said of the new program. "It gives us different avenues we've never had to help communities with their blight."

Landowners with questions about the program and eligibility can contact the land bank at 419-334-6414.

dacarson@gannett.com

419-334-1046

Twitter: @DanielCarson7

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Fremont hopes to get moving soon on blighted home teardown program - The News-Messenger

Jim Whelan was once described as "the most destructive man in Melbourne".

Over almost a century, the demolition firm he set up in the 1880s pulled down thousands ofbuildings, including some of the largest and grandest ever built in the city.

Before his death in 1938, when his sons took over the business and kept it going through a third generation right up until the early 1990s, Jim was said to have pulled down more than 1,000 buildings by his own hand.

But perhaps ironically, as the structures were pulled apart piece by the piece, the act of destruction led to some buildings being fondly remembered in a way they had never been while standing.

The firm made money from salvaging and selling off the materials from the demolition, so crews were scrupulous in taking apart the old buildings.

Inevitably, Jim's Brunswick scrap yard became a treasure trove that told the story of Melbourne and its growing pains, with periods of rapid expansion and changetempered by protractedlulls, like the one brought about bythe Second World War.

Author Robyn Annear, who researched and wrote a book about the family, said despite being associated with all the demolitions, in some ways the Whelans were "into heritage before heritage was a thing".

The family nameand the signs that boasted the firm's work became so ubiquitous thatthey entered the lexicon of the city's residents.

Jim wasin his 20swhen he made the tripto Melbourne from his western Victorian hometown of Stawell, in 1884.

By the time he reached his 60s, the small-scale operation he had started, mainly to turn a profit fromsellingmaterial salvaged in demolitions, had expanded enormously, and he had developed a considerable profile and a nickname to match.

An article in the 1929 edition of the The Weekly Times described him as, "a big man with a stoop".

"Whelan the Wrecker is themost destructive man in Melbourne," the article read.

"Though living in continual danger from falling debris, Whelan the Wrecker never gets worried."

The article went on to describe 11 serious accidents he survived, including being "smothered underan avalanche of bricks from a falling wall" and abrick falling from a height of 45 feet (13.7 metres) onto his head.

A few years earlier, in 1921, a member of his demolition crew had chiselled words into a stone wall that firmly stuck: 'Whelan the Wrecker is here'.

At its height, the firm had 100 employees, all extremely skilled and often working in treacherous situations long before worksitesafety standards were developed.

A 1932 article in The Herald describedthe firm's work demolishingthe Stewart Dawson Building to make way for the Manchester Unity Building that now stands as a celebrated art deco structure on the corner of Collins and Swanston streets in Melbourne's centre.

A crew of 15 experienced wreckers wastasked with pulling the iron roof off thefive-storey building, built in1884, and they had 18 days to finish the rest of the job.

Jim was quoted describing his starwreckers including JackThorpe, whose skills earned him the moniker, The Cat.

"There was a time when I wouldn't go 10 feet in the air myself," Jim reportedly said.

"When you go higher, you begin to lose your nervousness."

He downplayed the difficulty of the work he had gained recognition for.

"Pulling down is nothing," he said. "It's the taking away that wants careful organising."

Ms Annear said by the 1960s, watching demolitions taking place in the CBD by Whelan crews was a popular pastime, like a "free circus act".

"They played up to that, because these were the days when you didn't have to work with scaffolding and lots of protective gear," she said.

The researcher, who remembers watching the crews work as a girl, said the men would be high up on top of freestanding walls knocking out bricks with sledgehammers.

"People just couldn't get enough of that," she said.

"They would flock at lunchtime to eat their sandwiches and watch them do their high-wire act.

"Right from their really early days, Whelans really played up to that."

She said their antics were regularly featuredin the city's newspapers.

"I'd read about them in the papers, about the possibility of all sorts of treasures they'd uncovered and their acrobatics and so on," Ms Annear said.

"They just seemed like glamorous archaeologists or something to me as a child."

Over the decades,the slogans plastered across signs at the firms job sites, 'Whelan the Wrecker is here' or 'Whelan the Wrecker was here' crept into people's conversations.

"They had that great name that almost had a musical quality to it," she said.

Ms Annear said the name Whelan became a colloquialterm forsomeone or something messy, clumsy, or chaotic.

"You'd walk into your kid's bedroom and say 'oh Whelan the Wrecker was here!'" she said.

"It was really just part of Melbourne's language."

When the imposing graniteColonial Mutual Life, or Equitable Building, was opened in 1896, those who had designed and built it imagined it would define the corner of Elizabeth and Collins streets for many generations to come.

Instead, the hulking structure, wrapped around an iron frame, was brought down by Whelan the Wrecker less than 100 years later, in the early 1960s.

By this time, the next generation of Whelanswasrunning the business and young Jim, named after his father, was said to have calledthe 14-month job of dismantling the Colonial Mutual Life Building asone of the toughest the firm ever faced.

Ms Annear said that the demolition of the building that "everybody said was meant to last for thousands of years" actually brought its story to life.

She said many accounts point to the building being a "fairly dark, brooding, monolithic thing" at the corner of the two major streets.

"It was a landmark, but it wasn't especially beloved," Ms Annear said.

"It became so again only in the act of disappearing."

The involvement of the Whelans didn't always mean complete demolition.

In the firm's early days, in 1913, the Whelans were tasked with dismantlingone of Melbourne's earliest buildings so it could be put back together on a new site.

A foundation stone was laid for St James Old Cathedral in1939, but a few decades on, a flurry of construction fuelled by the wealth the Gold Rush brought to the city meant the small church was out of place and overshadowed in its central city location

As Jim and his workers pulled the building apart, they numbered each slab of stoneso the church could be put together again at a site on King Street, opposite Flagstaff Gardens, where it remains today.

The last relative at the helm of the wrecking business, Myles, died in 2003, and before then he donated many materials acquired by the family over the decades for preservation.

The business itself quietly went bankrupt during the early 1990s recession, a year shy of a century, with a legacy of having leftMelbourne completely transformed.

"In their promotions of the jobs they were doing, the things they were pulling down, they focused with such loving detail on how beautifully made the buildings were," Ms Annear said.

"They treasured and respected the quality of the buildings and the fixtures, which they then went on, of course to sell that's how they made a lot of their money.

"But they really had an eye for history and the bricks and mortar of Melbourne that made it a special place."

Ms Annear said rather than lamenting the loss of particular buildings, her research has led her to believethat their demolition providedan opportunityto appreciate and understand the past.

"I have this idea that nothing is ever really lost if we remember and celebrate those things," she said.

"I don't mean, by that, to justify the wholesale pulling down of everything and anything.

"But just that we do have to let go of some thingsand let the city grow and change, not necessarily for hard-edged economic reasons, but just because that's what cities do.

"That's how cities continue to survive and it's the difference between a city and a museum."

Link:
'Whelan the Wrecker is here': The demolition firm that transformed Melbourne over a century - ABC News