Advertisement
No one was injured by the fire and near collapse of the three-story Cotter Hall at the far northern corner of the campus, next to La Salle and Hoffman halls.
 |
The fire that engulfed St. Mary's University's Cotter Hall early Monday morning is still under investigation. Used as a storage facility since 1990, no one was injured in the Cotter Hall blaze. (Photo by Kate Weber of the Winona Daily News) |
Authorities discovered the fire at 1:47 a.m., when people living near West Wabasha and Pelzer streets, nearly a mile off campus, said they saw and smelled smoke. Firefighters tracked the smoke southwest on U.S. Highway 14 and saw flames leaping above the tall trees that surround Cotter Hall, a dispatch report said.
About 25 Winona firefighters responded in 11 vehicles and found flames filling the interior and fire leaping from the roof. Firefighters chose not to enter because of the danger of collapse. They knocked out glass, sprayed water through windows and doused the bulk of the blaze by 4:30 a.m., said Fire Lt. Larry Strange.
Fire Chief Ed Krall said public works crews helped manage water volume.
“They can kick in other pumps,” Krall said. “Pressure is not a problem here, volume is. We can’t run the trucks at their maximum capability.”
The fire was so large that more water would not necessarily have lessened damage, Krall said.
Smoke drifted down and over west-end Winona as the overnight temperature was in the mid-40s and winds were calm. Firefighters remained ` at the building all Monday as the old mansion smoldered.
Twelve hours later, the fire remained under investigation, Strange said. No one had entered the house. The university’s insurance carrier had arrived to assess damage.
Chris Kendall, vice president for student development, toured the site Monday morning.
“It’s irreplaceable in many regards as far a dollar value,” he said.
The fire appeared to have started in the southwest corner of the building, Strange said.
“It’s a shame because this is a really nice building,” he said. “I was in it years ago when it actually was being used as a residence and it’s a beautiful home inside.”
Capt. David Ritter said the building would likely need to be destroyed.
“It does appear a portion of the building had collapsed and another portion is in danger of collapsing,” he said Monday afternoon.
Conover called the fire “tragic and ironic” — Brother Craig Franz, SMU President, had started talks about renovating the old mansion, he said. The university considered it a total loss on Monday, SMU spokesman Bob Conover said. A few trees near the building were damaged, he said.
The building had been locked but occasional break-ins were discovered over the past years, Strange said.
Cotter Hall, also called the Beck House, became SMU property in 1911. The university opened in 1913. For years, it served as a men’s and a women’s dormitory but the university vacated it in 1990 and used it for storage, Conover said.
Get your Cotters straight
Confused by Cotters? Well, you should be.
Here’s why: All Cotter buildings in town are named after Bishop Joseph Cotter, the Diocese of Winona’s first bishop, who served from 1889 to 1909.
Both Cotter Junior High, Cotter High and Cotter Hall at Saint Mary’s University were all named after him. However, contrary to local legend, Cotter High School was never housed on the campus of Saint Mary’s University.
Cotter Junior High and Cotter High remained at the corner of East Wabasha and Lafayette streets until the high school moved to the former Saint Teresa College campus.
Cotter Hall at Saint Mary’s University became the first of many buildings on campus, being left to the diocese in 1911 when
Mrs. C.C. Beck died.
There was still another Cotter Hall in Winona. It was located on the St. Teresa campus, but it was torn down in 1991.
Reporter Jeff Dankert can be reached at (507) 453-3513, or e-mail: jdankert@winonadailynews.com.
