Senseless Vandalism Causes Expensive Damage

A great deal of work and money went at least partly to waste when vandals gave the Crawfordsville Masonic Cornerstone Grand Hall and Event Center the worst Valentine’s Day present ever.

Vandals did damage to the front doors, at least partly undoing a couple hundred hours of labor and $800 in supplies. The damage was done sometime the evening of Valentine’s Day or possibly early the next morning. Officials report that police are investigating not only this act of vandalism but another in the downtown area.

When the restoration project began, workers stripped 11 layers of paint off the old doors almost a year ago. Three people worked six hours on stripping and sanding one side of one door leaf.  The doors were taken down, stripped and sanded, gouges were filled in, caulked and repainted. The brass hardware, which looked black from years of use and weathering, were spruced up and by August the doors were re-hung. Altogether, more than 240 hours were invested in the doors by the board, Masons and willing volunteers.