April 1975, and the construction of the downtown Muskegon Mall is progressing at a rapid pace. The two anchor stores are going up, Sears at the east end of the mall and the new Steketee’s at the west end. By this time there were so many buildings and whole streets that had been swept away as a result, that the downtown was not recognizable anymore. One of the few features left of any significance was the Occidental Hotel located at the corner of Clay and Third. It extended all the way to the corner of Third and Western Avenues. It included a candy and ice cream shop on Western Avenue, and at one time a restaurant. But by the mid-1970’s the building was holding up progress.
When Richard Steketee committed to an anchor store in Muskegon, he wanted to make sure that there would be plenty of parking on his side of the mall for his customers. And the only thing standing in the way of a 350 car parking area was…. you guessed it the Occidental Hotel.The decision was made that the hotel property would be obtained by the city and demolished.This was big news for many in town as the Occidental had been the hub of many a night out. From dancing in the ball room to political rallies. A number of Presidential hopefuls held rallies and dinners at the Occidental. Including then Senator John F.Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon.
At one time the Occidental played host to two television stations, WMKG Channel 53, a local low power television station operated by Bud Kelly. And the local office for WZZM-TV 13 out of Grand Rapids.
The Occidental Hotel closed it’s doors for the last time on December 1, 1970. And by 1975 the city had obtained the property through condemnation proceedings.
Contracts were let out for bid on the demolition and O’Rourke Wrecking had won the bid and sub-contracted with Controlled Demolitions to implode the building. There was great concern within city hall about the when and the how of the Occidental coming down. And the date was kept secret for as long as possible. Wrecking crew personnel had worked inside the building for many weeks removing windows, and fixtures and generally making it ready to come down. The interior was stripped to the metal I-beams and the rubble hauled away.
Boards went up over windows on buildings surrounding the hotel. The Michigan Theater (now the Frauenthal Center), the Chronicle Building and St. Paul’s Episcopal church were shuttered in plywood. A large berm of dirt was pushed up around the building to help prevent debris from flying about.
On Sunday, April 13, 1975, a bright sunny morning, crowds slowly began to gather in Hackley park, as it appeared that the day had finally come. Police and Fire Department personnel were at a safe distance, but definitely in force on that day. A lone siren was heard through the downtown area. And from across the street in Hackley Park an employee from Controlled Demolitions turned the handle which set off the explosive charges inside the hotel, and she gracefully, albeit forcefully came down. A huge dust cloud arose and demolition personnel moved in with fire hoses to knock the cloud down.
But on April,13, 1975 the hotel came down. It was the biggest implosion of a commercial building in the history of downtown Muskegon.
Ironically, just a few years later, after the Muskegon Mall had been open, the city fathers realized that there was a need for hotel space in the downtown area, as there were very few rooms available. So in there infinite wisdom, the city, in conjunction with the country, decided to build a new hotel, which sat kitty corner on Third street from where the once proud Occidental once stood. But that is another story!
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