Mount Ayr Record News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, May 03, 2012
The Lentz Building, Photograph by Mike Avitt
A pile of rubble is all that is left of a Tingley landmark building
which was located just west of the city tennis courts on Tingley's main street.
Lentz building collapses at Tingley
An old Tingley landmark building has collapsed in recent weeks. The LENTZ building was build by C. W. LENTZ and build
in 1930 to replace a building that burned in a fire on July 2, 1930 that also destroyed the wooden Christian Church
building. The town of Tingley had no fire fighting equipment at the time and nearly all of the main street
businesses had been burnt down by several suspicious fires, this being the last one. A $200 reward was offered for
apprehension of those responsible for these fires at the time. LENTZ build a new building that was operated as a
cafe operated by Willard ARCHIBOLD and Roy HARVEY, a baker by trade. E. E. LENTZ rented the new garage part and opened
on Saturday, Nov. 29, 1930. An ad for the station said it offered tires, tubes, oil, gas and accessories. Oscar
HINES worked there was a mechanic. In 1934, E. E. LENTZ left for Greenfield and HINES to Knoxville, September 29,
1934. Eldon and Lyndon RICHARDS opened RICHARDS Service Station in the vacated building. It was a Phillips 66 Station
selling Firestone and Lee tires. (Eldon discontinued farmer and had an auction on September 26, 1934.) In 1940
Lyndon RICHARDS sold the business to the SCOTT Brothers and Joker HILLEBRAN stayed on and worked for them. Through the
years this building on the south side of Main Street across from the Tingley Community Building has had several
different owners. On February 11, 1986 Turk ALLEN purchased the 80 x 40 foot building to use as storage. On Tuesday,
April 17 ALLEN was alerted to trusses cracking and splitting and with help began to remove tractors, a boat, camper,
trailer and other valuables stored there. The talk at the coffee table was it would go down or would stand for
40 years. Four days later on Saturday, April 21, the building collapsed. Fortunately, no one was in the building
at the time and what was still in there had little value, except the Amos RYAN wooden high wheel wagon that had a
little damage when Kent TRULLING and Larry JARRET lifted the roof, sawed beams and pulled it out. Possibly,
the terrific winds received in April stressed the roof and caused the large building to collapse. Now, those who
go through Tingley will know what happened to this 82-year-old landmark that lies in a heap.
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, May of 2012
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