Aurora’s First Christian Church building being demolished

The First Christian Church building in Aurora, which was ravaged by a fire last month, is being demolished. Demolition work on the building began on Monday, May 6.
The building, which was built in 1908, was home to the First Christian Church of Aurora until 2013. Stephen and Stephanie Davis, owners of Mirage Pet Products, bought the building the following year and ran their business out of it until the fire broke out. In a later interview, Stephanie Davis said the fire was caused by faulty wiring. Mirage Pet Products declined to comment on the building’s demolition, stating they wanted to wait until the lot was cleaned up. The business is now operating out of the former Pamida building in west Mt. Vernon.
The City of Aurora posted a message on their Facebook page, urging citizens to take time to appreciate historic buildings while they’re still around.
“We are sad to lose this historic building but it is a reminder that we cannot afford to take these old buildings for granted,” the post read. “All of those buildings give our downtown character and charm; they are uniquely Aurora. Seeing this strengthens our resolve that we need to take good care for our downtown, the buildings and the businesses.”
The stretch of Washington Street located west of the church building is closed to traffic while demolition work continues.