Lyn evokes Andisheh and elaborates on The Decatur Minute on the news shared by KL in an earlier comment that Trackside and 5th Earl demolition will begin this evening.

Don’t Panic!  A portion of the front wall of Trackside and Fifth Earl will be demolished this evening.  This work is necessary because the fire earlier this year destroyed critical structural components and a segment of the front wall had pulled away from the building and was collapsing.  This retail strip is made up of several individual buildings which were cobbled together over time into a small retail center.  So, while Trackside and Fifth Earl appeared to be in two buildings, they actually occupied at least three individual buildings that had been joined together and then subdivided over the years.  The damaged wall section being demolished includes the far right side of Trackside and the left section of Fifth Earl.  The eastern-most lane of College Avenue adjacent to the building will be closed to traffic from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. as the demolition work is completed.  Plans are still underway to restore the building and reopen the businesses.  The demolition work marks the first step in the reconstruction.

Trackside owner “Doc Al” just wrote in with this comment to a previous post…

Yes, Trackside is definitely coming back – plans for the re-build are currently being formulated. However – it appears that quite a bit of the existing building is going to have to be demolished before it can be rebuilt, so – don’t get worried if you see bulldozers at work in the near future. The goal is to re-create as much of the old Trackside as possible along with some modern upgrades behind the scenes. Stay tuned for updates as the weeks and months go by.

Sweet.  It will be interesting to see exactly how detailed they get in “recreating” the old bar.

Best o’ luck Al!

Andisheh's Trackside Photo

SeniorScottie writes in with hopeful news about Trackside…

My roommate was walking by [Trackside] today, saw Jonathan and some of the others packing some stuff into storage, and asked what was up. Apparently, they got the insurance money (finally), are salvaging everything they can, and someone is going to come look at it so they can start to rebuild at the same location. No idea what the timeline is but I’m super exited.

Very good news!  I assume this will be a complete rebuild?

And before someone asks, I’ve heard nary a word about 5th Earl.

UPDATE: Extra awesomeness.  Daren writes in with the details…

But wait, there’s more! Immortality is within your grasp! LEON’s will create a custom drink and name it for the winner. Forever more, people will walk into this fine establishment and order up a “Your name here.” “I’ll have a Purdy.” “Give me a double Draper.” “Man, I had one too many Kells last night.” People will be cursing you behind your back for years.

Leon’s Full Service is auctioning off its first pint!  (Place your bids HERE.)

Daren Wang (of Book Festival fame) and the Brick Store boys (Mike, Dave and Tom) have set up the auction on Ebay, with all the proceeds going to the Trackside/5th Earl Employee Fund.  What a great idea!

Here are the details as stated on Ebay…

After months of waiting, Leon’s Full Service is ready to open. The Brick Store guys are putting the final touches on their new space for an official opening Sunday or Monday. Who gets to buy the first official pint at the new hub of our fair city? It could be you! Mike, Dave, and Tom are auctioning off the right to buy the first pint, and all the proceeds go to the Trackside Tavern/Fifth Earl Employee Fund.

The historic moment will be photographed and enshrined on the wall of Leon’s along with the first bill. This is history in the making. You’ll tell your grandkids. This will make the Inauguration look like a Concert on the Square. Mary Jane Mahan will immortalize you in the sequel to “Love at the Pub.” You’ll get to choose from the finest beer selection in the Southeast. And it’s all to help out the good folks down on College Avenue. So bid like crazy. Even in a bad economy, you’ve got to have a drink every once in a while. Why not this one? First Pint will be served at 5pm on Opening Day.

Man, what pressure!!  With all the beer afficiandos around me I wouldn’t know what to pick! Whomever wins this thing better spend a few hours on BeerAdvocate to determine the best course of action.

What would you go with?

Robert Elrod, who was instrumental in organizing the recent Trackside fundraiser at Corner Pub, reports…

The owner of Trackside (Doc Al Czarkowski) father died yesterday at Dekalb. It seems impossible that all this could happen to one person, but it has.

This Saturday at 2PM at Turner Funeral home in Decatur, there will be a service for him…. Doc’s father was a welcome fellow whenever he was in town at the Trackside and many of the patrons knew him well. Since the fire, Doc has not been able to get to his email list from the Trackside, and we’d like as many folks as possible to be made aware.

My deepest condolences Al.

Robert Elrod reports that yesterday’s Soup-Off at the Corner Pub raised an impressive $7,000 for the Trackside Employee Fund.   Also, Robert adds that “there will be a Chowderoff this Saturday at 4PM, and owner Joshua Elrod will donate 20% of the proceeds to the Fund.”

Trackside “refugee” David over at InDecatur has pictures and a report from the event.

Robert Elrod sends in info for the Trackside Employee Fund that he’s set up over at Decatur First Bank…

Send checks made out to
THE TRACKSIDE EMPLOYEE FUND
to
Decatur First Bank; Attn: Ann Berg
1120 Commerce Dr.
Decatur, Ga. 30030

or bring money or checks by the Corner Pub at 627 D East College Ave.
Anyone wishing information can contact me at my email address. (rhelrod[at]comcast.net)

Sharing similar pasts, Corner Pub is now giving a helping hand to Trackside employees.

David over at InDecatur notes that Corner Pub will host Trackside’s “Soup-Off” this Sunday in conjunction with Trackside employees.  Submissions should be brought in between 3-4p.  Judging will take place at 4p.

In an updated AJC article this morning, 5th Earl owner Brian Falcon tells the paper that they will do something similar for their employees in the coming days, so stay tuned for that.  Also Falcon sounds unsure as to whether he will be able to reopen in the same space.  This may have something to do with the fact that the fire department has yet to determine whether the building will be condemned or not (Trackside and 5th Earl shared a roof).

And though there have been a lot of rumors swirling around regarding the cause of the fire, the fire department has yet to make any official statement.

UPDATE V: One of the 5th Earl owners, David, checks in and promises to come back “stronger and better than before” in the comments section.

UPDATE IV: Ali Laipple has posted a gallery of photos of the damage on her Facebook page.  Click the pic below to view.

h/t: InDecatur

Photo Courtesy of Ali Laipple's Facebook Page

UPDATE III: Paula provides a cell phone pic of the Trackside damage.  Can’t see inside, but windows are shattered and there is definitely a lot of damage…

UPDATE II: According to the Fire Dept, Trackside was destroyed by the fire.  Asst. City Manager Lyn Menne reports…

“The fire department reports that 5th Earl did receive smoke and water damage and additional structural damage because of a shared roof system. Trackside was destroyed. No word on insurance yet or the cause of the fire but we’ll keep you posted and no information about whether there wasmoke damage at Bistro Box or Wiggle. The Decatur community rallied behind our local businesses during similar disasters on Church Street and later at College Avenue and hopefully they will rise to the occassion again.”

See Lyn’s full comment below.

Trackside is a Decatur institution.  I echo Lyn’s hope that we can again pull together to help revive these Decatur businesses.

UPDATE I: Eyewitness reports from residents (in the comments section) seem to indicate that both Trackside and 5th Earl took major hits from this fire.

First on DM…

I’ve gotten two reports this morning thus far about a fire in the Trackside/5th Earl building along College Ave.  Not yet sure which establishments were affected.  Bistro in a Box and Wiggle are also located in that building.

Hope all are safe.

Stay tuned.