Lyon’s Corner Drug and Soda Fountain Crews Begin Brick Repairs

Crews are already digging into the brickwork on Lincoln Avenue. The sound of masonry and the sight of scaffolding on the Maxwell Squire Building finally broke a year of stagnation for locals who’ve watched Lyon’s Corner Drug and Soda Fountain sit in limbo.

For Amanda and Joshua Jones, the noise isn’t just construction. It’s the sound of survival.

The couple, who purchased the historic business in January 2024, have been waiting for this moment. They’ve been hit hardest by the structural damage caused when a vehicle smashed into the building’s front entrance. The impact pushed the supporting bricks back more than a foot. The building didn’t collapse, but it didn’t stand straight either.

“It’s been extremely frustrating just because we’re the ones that are impacted the most, and we have nothing to do with it,” Amanda Jones said.

Make no mistake: The Joneses don’t own the building. They own the business inside it. But the structural failure of the 118-year-old structure has crippled their revenue. A crash that damaged the bricks also required crews to dig down through the floor to install support pillars for the second story. Those pillars are now hidden behind a temporary wall inside the shop. That wall cut retail space. It eliminated seating for the Soda Fountain. It shrunk the footprint of a business that relies on foot traffic and visibility.

Misinformation has swirled around the delay. Locals assumed the business owners were sitting on a large grant, hoarding insurance money while the shop sat empty. Jones had to correct the record. The $250,000 grant came from the History Colorado State Historical Fund. It went to the building owner, Victor Balestra, not the tenants. The repairs were approved by insurance. The delay was logistical, not financial greed.

Balestra has been “great to work with,” Jones said. He hired a historic mason. He’s investing in a structure that needs to withstand another century of Colorado weather. But while the building gets its bones fixed, the business is bleeding cash.

Sales have dipped. The Joneses made immediate cuts to survive. Last year, they built a wall to close off the pharmacy from the retail floor. Now, the pharmacy is only open until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. It’s closed entirely on Sundays. They reduced hours. They cut payroll. Every dollar saved is a dollar kept from the fire.

The goal is simple: reopen the front entrance by June. Jones expects the brick restoration to finish first. The full project, including all interior adjustments, is targeted for completion by July.

It’s a tight window. If the masons slip, the business slips with them.

The short version is this: The crash broke the building. The repairs are finally starting. But the business inside has been broken for longer. The Joneses are hoping that by July, the doors will open wide again, and the temporary walls will come down. Until then, they’re watching the clock, watching the budget, and watching the bricks.