Blaze Cripples Oldest Labor Temple's Interior

From the Springfield State-Register:

The Jacksonville Labor Temple which two years ago appeared to have been saved from the wrecking ball, was gutted by fire Tuesday afternoon, and chances for another rebirth appear slim.

The three-story brick building, the oldest standing labor temple in Illinois and believed to be the oldest such structure in the country, was being renovated by the Illinois AFL-CIO and the Jacksonville Central Illinois Labor Trust Committee. The group, which bought the building two years ago, had hoped to make the building usable for meetings and a labor museum. However, neighbors and city officials said work had lagged on the building in the past year.

The Jacksonville Fire Department found flames and smoke coming from the building, 228 S. Mauvaisterre St., when firefighters arrived just before 4 p.m., Fire Department Captain Doug Sills said.

"We sent a crew inside, but the interior of the building was in such a bad and unstable condition, we pulled them out," Sills said.

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