The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1957-10-25
Midtown FarmvilIe Landmark Building Lost In
Tuesday Morning Fire; Seven Businesses Suffer
Loss Estimates
Range sl5o,ooo
TO S25O,OO0 High

Three businesses affected in
tuesdays fire. which destroyed
familiar midtown Farmville land
mark, the Continental Hotel
Building. are open at new loca :.
ions. three are open under some
what restricted usage at the same
place and the seventh. Advance
Store, is temporarily OUT Of bus
ness but actively seeking new
ocation.
The Quilted ruin Of the two and
half story brick structure lies
cross Main street from the Court
louise. Down through the years
occupied as the post office, the
alter and leading hoStelry it last
lad been the offices OF Garland
md Harwood. insurance agents.
the Pacific Mutual Life Insurance
state agency and the sales and
storage rooms Of the Advance
Store.
Garland and Harwood has OPP
ened in the same block sharing
quarters with The Floor Shop.
The Pacific Mutual agency is now
located in the Bloomfield Build
ing on East Third street. Both
have announced that all records
concerning he businesses we're
saved and are intact.
Want To Stay
r. @. Smith, vice president of
the Advance Stores Company. at
Roanoke. was here after the fire
TO survey new locations. On de-
parture he told Frank White.
manager Of the local store, that
the chain would most certainly
retain its unit here if lease ar
rangements can be made and a
suitable location found.
Before firemen stopped the
three-hour, stubborn blaze which
ragged from sometime earlier than
6-45 a. m, when Mrs. Walter F..
Rhoads, 304 Randolph street
phoned III the first alarm until
$50 a m, it had spread to the
roof and upper structure timbers
of the former armory building on
the south and Cralle Cafe Oh the
north.
~ smother this dangerous
creeping which could have been u
disastrous spread Of the fire
through the wall-to-wall COM
pactness Of the Is businesses III
the downtown block from High to
Third streets. firemen poured
steady streams OF water through
holes in the adjoining roofs.
Water Damage
On the south side, the Home
Beneficial Life Insurance Com
pany Suite. the Farmville Bowl
Arena and offices Of DR.. James A.
Mcclellan. all in the armoiy build
ing. received considerable water
damage. Adjoining to the north.
the Cralle Cafe and Taxi Stand
also received smoke and water
damage.
The Home Beneficial office re-
mains open. playing has resumed
IN the Bowl-Arena and Cradles
Cafe Is doing business as formerly
although all nut be repaired IN
til repairs are completed. Dr.. Nc
Clellan will have offices on the
second floor Of the Dorothy Nav
Building on Main street.
Farmvllle Fire Chief Claude
Butcher estimated damage in the
loss OF one building, partial fire
damage and severe water damage
70 two more, at $3.50 900. Others
IN the business community have
mace estimates, ranging from
Butchers figure down to slOO ooo
The Advance Store. which oc-
cupied half Of the street floor and
used the entire second floor for
storage OF goods and supplies, had
Just stocked to capacity with
CHRISTMAS sales goods. Manager
Frank White could not estimate
the pre-fre inventory. but liz
loss figure must be augmented
heavily through the destruction
Of Christmas goods.
Flremen . and Chief Butcher
nave expressed SINGER gratitude
ior the host Of fireman az
sistants who helped move hose
and handle equipment per-
formed yeoman service In confln-
ing the fire primarily to one
building.
Fircmcn Praised
All observers considered tic
technique used by three depart
ments Farmville. Lynchburc and
lreWe, under local direction I'll.
Temely effective II vas pre-
planned during fire department
drills.
Chief Butcher summoned the
Lyhcnou and Crewe Fire De-
IT. tiiietltS about an hour after
the blaze had ragged when he
realized the progress it had made
ana the possibility that local
bumpers might undergo mechan-
zeal or operating difficulties.
ihe chief and insurance adjust
efs who have inspected the
(Co-.--.ued VI page 81