Part of the iconic Irish Hills Towers in Lenawee County is being demolished this week.
Members of a small wrecking crew are slowly dismantling the two observation decks that top the six story tall wooden towers. The work is expected to take a few days, depending in part on the weather.
The towers have been a landmark along U-S Route 12 in southern Michigan since the 1920’s and they're on the National Register of Historic Places.
But age and neglect have taken a toll in recent years.
Donna Boglarsky is the president of the Irish Hills Historical Society and a former owner of the towers. She hopes that removing the tops of the towers will make it easier to reinforce and repair the bases of the towers.
“Obviously (the towers) are near and dear to my heart, my daughter’s and my family’s hearts, we just want to do what we can to save them,” Boglarsky said as she stood in a parking lot a short distance from the towers.
Boglarsky says the work being done this week is costing about $20,000. She estimates the cost of fully renovating the Irish Hills Towers at closer to $300,000.
The effort to save the iconic towers is under pressure from local officials who fear the towers are unstable and may need to be demolished.
