Decades-old Glasgow Ice Company building comes down

Over the years, the building housed a variety of businesses.

Decades-old Glasgow Ice Company building comes down
Crews demolish the longtime home of Glasgow Ice Company on East Main Street Monday. The building had stood for decades and recently was removed after years of limited use. (Brennan Crain/Barrenside)

GLASGOW, Ky. — A familiar piece of Glasgow’s East Main Street landscape disappeared this week when the longtime home of Glasgow Ice Company was demolished after decades of standing along the busy corridor.

The property is owned by R J FETSCH PROPERTIES LLC, operated by Russell J. Fetsch of Glasgow. He owns several rental properties in town.

Fetsch, who said he has owned the property for about four years, told Barrenside on Monday that the building’s roof had deteriorated to the point that demolition made more financial sense than repairs.

“I hated to tear it down,” he said, reflecting on the building’s long history.

Glasgow Ice Company opened in 1916 and later operated from 701 East Main Street for many years, though the business had not occupied the property in recent years.

Over the years, the building housed a variety of businesses.

The site was also home to a radio and appliance repair shop operated by Russell Humphrey and Earl Fisher, according to an Aug. 25, 1955, article published in the Glasgow Daily Times.

Fetsch said the property had been without tenants for several years and had seen little use during that time, aside from housing some slot machines and four-wheelers near the front of the building.

He said he approached coffee chain 7 Brew about the site, but the company was not interested in the property at this time.

Fetsch said he plans to sell the property and hopes future development will bring new investment to the east side of Glasgow.

A timeline for the sale was not immediately available.


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