The Corner Bar aka The Stone Building is gone. An empty basement and a jagged 24 inch thick piece of stone wall pillar mark the spot where the oldest commercial building in Kimball stood for more than 100 years. This unique piece of Kimball history and presence was so badly damaged by a fire that started in the second story about 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 2 that the stone walls had to be toppled for safety reasons.The fire was first reported about 12:45 a.m. by Kimball Police Officers Ward McConnahay and Jesse Godin.Godin said, “ I went into the second story to see if anyone was in the building. No one was, so I brought out the residents’ dog. I could see the Kimball Fire Department was still arriving at that time so I helped man a firehose.”Before it was all over, 15 to 20 firemen were on the scene. The Dix Fire Department also helped battle the blaze.Fire Chief Dale Moore said, “ We tried to save the building but we couldn’t. We went into a defensive mode to save the bakery.” The north wall of the Corner Bar is the south wall of the bakery.Moore said the cause of the fire was undetermined as of noon on Jan.2. The Fire Marshall had visited the scene and departed by that time.Kimball Mayor James Schnell said,” I’m glad that local firemen were fighting  the fire. Anyone not familiar with the building might have also lost the bakery.”Schnell said the east and south stone walls of the Corner Bar were leaning outwards and made it necessary to topple them for safety reasons. The rubble was immediately removed from the streets so that passage on the streets were clear for later traffic. Any danger from fire flare-ups from rubble embers was also eliminated by hauling away the debris.A portion of  the north wall towered above the roof of the adjoining bakery. That part of the north wall was toppled by a combination of Z & S heavy equipment and operator plus firemen working from the bakery roof. The activity of firemen on the bakery roof and the impact of several building stones fallen from the common wall did some damage to the roof.Bakery building owner Arnie Christensen said the bakery has not been condemned. He was on the scene in the bakery on Monday morning awaiting the arrival of the insurance company adjuster.Christensen holds hopes that  the bakery can be back in operation soon.Christensen said the roof will definitely need to be recoated. The customer service area and oven area of the bakery showed some water damage on the common wall. Christiansen also owns the space occupied by the Chamber of Commerce, located in the space adjoining the bakery on the north.The principal damage to the bakery was further to the rear where part of an interior wall and part of the roof had been demolished.Bill Hinton owns the bakery business. Christensen, age 81, still comes in every day and bakes. Christensen worked in the bakery as a boy and youth, working for his father Enjar who had taken over the bakery operation in 1923. Enjar sold it to his son, Arnie, in 1956 and Arnie owned and operated it until 1986.Arnie said he had sold the bakery operation five times but always kept ownership of the building.A bit of smoke odor was the principal aftereffect noticeable in the Chamber office.Men and equipment from Z & S Construction Company, Inc. trucked out many loads of debris which went to the city landfill. By late afternoon on Jan. 2, the rubble was cleared. The area where the Corner Bar had stood was cordoned off by police tape. Julia and Tyler Golembiewski lived in an apartment above the Corner Bar. They were not present when the fire started.Tyler Golembiewski  came upon the scene as the firemen were doing their best to save the Corner Bar and the adjoining bakery. He ignored commands to stay out  the the firefighters way and finally had to be arrested to eliminate the distraction.Corner Bar owner Sue Lieninger said she felt sorry for Julia because all of her worldly possessions were lost in the fire, including her grandmother’s china.A few items were salvaged from the Corner Bar while the fire was being fought. A pool table, some furniture, the business’s safe and cash register were brought out.A rack holding half a dozen pool cues remains as part of the north wall of the void that once was the Corner Bar.According to Sue Lieninger, the building was not insured.Sue said on Jan. 3, she was glad no one was injured. She presented a cheerful outlook after such a devastating loss.The Lieninger family has operated a billiards hall and tavern in the Stone Building since 1936. George Lieninger (the elder) started Lieninger’s Billiard Hall at that time. George Lieninger (the younger) He bought the building from Minnie Brady’s heirs in 1959 and soon brought his brother Edward and wife into the business.George (the younger) Lieninger’s son Richard and wife Sue got into the operation around 1972.Richard and Sue operated the place together until Richard’s untimely death on Christmas Eve in 1988. Sue operated the Corner Bar from that point to the present calamity.The billiards tradition was deep for many of the faithful at The Corner Bar. Some regulars at the pool tables had their cues placed in their coffin as the time of their death. Ironically, January 2, the day of the fire, is Sue’s birthday.The Good Times Bar and Grill at 109 W. 2nd St. joins onto the Corner Bar structure. Good Times is owned by TLC Enterprises and is operated by Roger Dohse. It was open for business the evening of Jan. 4 and operating full blast.The Stone Building aka The Corner Bar was built by John Biggs in 1893-1894 from native stone quarried from a big draw just west of Kimball. The headstone that was above the front door is dated 1894. The building opened for business on Jan.5, 1895, 115 years ago. John Biggs was the builder and early proprietor of a grocery and lumber store on the lower floor. In 1904, Biggs traded the building to James Brady for a herd of sheep. The Brady family owned the building, renting to various businesses, until selling it to George Leininger in 1959.The demise of the building leaves a gap in the heart of Kimball and a scar on its fabric. A benefit dance and raffle will be held at Big Mamou on Jan. 9 with proceeds going directly to Sue Leininger. Admission is $5.Three local bands will appear, starting at 9 p.m. The bands are Good Friday (featuring Lance Terrill on lead guitar), Dolly Hit Dollie and Breed the Damned.