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In 1983, I was sitting in the Elliot and Waldron Title Office with Mrs. Mattern signing papers to purchase 1024 Milam from her. It was a grocery store in the front, a feed store in the rear, and living quarters on top.
Mrs. Mattern asked what I was going to do with her building. I told her I wanted to turn it into a fitness center for our discharged Physical Therapy parents. They did not have any place to go and exercise after they finished physical therapy. In 1984, I remodeled the Mattern Building and we opened in 1985 as Columbus Health and Fitness Center. We gave all our discharged PT parents free use for one month after outpatient discharge and we charged $25.00 a month for the general public to utilize.
Around 1994, the building next to 1024 Milam (1018 Milam) caught fire and burned down; it was the Gindler’s new store. It was a tremendous fire. Mr. Glaeser from the Columbus Fire Department was spraying our building from 11:00pm to 3:00am to keep it from catching fire.
