Acoma faced demolition, too

By the Standard Staff

Back in fall 1994, all indications were that the Acoma Building at Broadway and Wyoming would be gone by year's end.

News stories from that time said county officials intended to solicit bids for demolition with a budget of $150,000. Butte-Silver Bow owned the building and hadn't had any luck selling it.

In stepped Butte Citizens for Preservation and Revitalization with an appeal to rethink the decision, and momentum swung in the other direction.

Initially, the Urban Revitalization Agency spent $66,000 to replace the roof and stabilize the building.

Then in fall 1996, a $1.3 million public-private partnership began to remodel the building into a successful bar and restaurant, which continues today.

Public financing included about $343,000 in URA grants, a $163,620 URA loan and a $135,000 loan from the Butte Local Development Corp.

Chief Executive Judy Jacobson agreed the Acoma was a good success story, but said the URA no longer has that kind of money available.

County building official John Harrington said the O'Rourke is as bad off or possibly even worse off than the Acoma was.

"It's beyond me how they ever saved the Acoma," Harrington said. "If they would have let it go any longer, they wouldn't have been able to

save it."