Exterior work began this week on the 114-year-old Morgan Building at 1306 Second St., the latest salvage effort by the the Nudgers property rehab and restoration group.
Laborers remove the remnants of the shake-shingled awning that formerly shaded the street-level storefront, most recently the offices of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1149, which represents the interests of workers at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Perry.
Crumbling masonry also presents an exterior challenge. Interior demolition began earlier this month.
A February 2018 fire destroyed an upstairs apartment and badly damaged the rest of the structure. The building’s longtime owner, former Perry Mayor Viivi Shirley of Waukee, made a gift of the property to the Nudgers this year.
The Nudgers estimate completing their restoration by October.
