White Pigeon building partially collasped

A portion of a historical building in White Pigeon collapsed Thursday afternoon, prompting an expedited plan to demolish the entire structure this week.

Doug Kuhlman, village zoning administrator, said a lower-level wall at the southwest corner of the former Tasty Nut Shop collapsed onto the sidewalk along the east side of South Kalamazoo Street.

Under the circumstances, state officials have authorized Kuhlman to arrange an immediate tear-down of the three-story building. He said the demolition will occur starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The State Land Bank Authority last month issued the village a grant in excess of $575,000 to cover costs related to demolition of the 160-year-old building. It was condemned in October 2021 and vacated in February 2022.

Kuhlman said he expects demolition crews to use a tool called a hydro-stick to raze the building. It will allow workers to level the structure methodically starting from the top and then work their way down, he noted.