Difficult decision to make ...

Wednesday, July 18 marked the final chapter in the history of Mulligan’s Grill Pub in Waukon following the January 23, 2018 fire that destroyed the building’s interior. The six months since that fateful day for owner Dana Ruegnitz and his wife, Jordan, have been a difficult timeframe of follow-up and decision-making, ultimately leading to a decision to tear down the remaining structure and not rebuild. The tearing down process took place in just a single day July 18, depicted in the surrounding photos.

“I don’t know what was more difficult, making the decision or actually watching it being torn down,” Ruegnitz shared. His decision to not rebuild came after months of weighing all his options and contemplating his future in the restaurant business. He also knew that he couldn’t let the building remain in its current state any longer. He hopes that the remaining concrete foundation and utilities connections might offer a future opportunity for another productive use of the property.

The building had first been constructed in 1989 as a Pizza Hut franchise before being remodeled and opening as Mulligan’s Grill Pub in February of 1999. An addition to the original structure was built in 2002 and Ruegnitz had previously owned the business from 2002-2006 before resuming ownership in 2016. Standard photos by Joe Moses.