Alewine Furniture Store destroyed by fire

One of Parker’s most talked-about old buildings, the Alewine Furniture Store on Riverside Drive, has been destroyed by fire. The fire broke out in the 9 o’clock hour Friday night, and was put out by local fire crews.

The fire is the second in a year to destroy buildings on the property. Last April, several sticks of old, unstable dynamite were found in an adjacent building on the property, which turned out to be some of the only surviving buildings from the Poston Internment Camp. Officials destroyed the dynamite in a controlled fire, destroying most of the building.

The property represents one of the few undeveloped lots along that stretch of Riverside Drive. The owners reportedly turned down many offers to sell, and the old store sat for years with vintage furniture inside, stretching the imaginations of people walking by.

Photographs by Joe Sena and John Wright.