Tin Pig Tavern owner J. R. Sheffer looked on Friday morning as workers with Indianola-based Downing Construction Inc. demolished about one-third of the upper story on his building, the old Gamble Block at 1202 Second St. in downtown Perry.
The destructive derecho wind storm of Aug. 10 badly damaged the 120-year-old structure, ripping away brickwork at the top of the building’s southwest corner and driving joists like corkscrews downward through the lower floors.
“They called it a straight-line wind,” Sheffer said, “but I had an engineer look at some of the damage, and he said he’d never seen wind twists joists or drive two-by-fours straight down like that.”
Sheffer is no stranger to challenges. The Osceola restaurateur brought success to venues such as the Wobbly Boots Roadhouse barbecue in Clive and the Sports Page Grill and Brickhouse Tavern pizza and beer pub in Indianola. He is optimistic about reopening the Tin Pig Tavern.
“It all depends on how much the insurance will pay,” Sheffer said. “If they will only pay 25% or 50% to rebuild, then it won’t work. I’ve already sunk too much money into this building.”
As the Downing demolition crew carefully removed and stacked the yellow bricks and the limestone slab window sills for future reuse in the building’s reconstruction, Sheffer reflected on the last two years in Perry.
“We’ve had success in every small town we’ve put a restaurant in,” Sheffer said in March 2018, when his work on the Gamble Block was just starting. “We jump into the community with both feet. Once we’re there, we’re in.”
This was also his method in Perry. The Tin Pig Tavern was just hitting its stride after opening last October, and business was booming when the coronavirus lock down was ordered in March. Now the derecho has come along and added summer’s insult to spring’s injury, but Sheffer is not ready to throw in the towel.
“Out of all the little communities that I’ve been involved in, Perry has the nicest street I’ve seen with old buildings,” Sheffer said in 2018. Now he feels the same about the people. “No town has embraced us like Perry has,” he said Friday. “I can’t tell you how grateful we are for all the support and encouragement the people here have shown us. Perry has been wonderful to us.”
The top of the Gamble Block has been stabilized and covered with a tarp against this week’s forecast rain. The ball is in the insurance company’s court now, but Sheffer is eager to get his Tin Pig back on four feet.
