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75 Years Ago: Clerk Intentionally Sets State Building on Fire
['John Robinson']
94.9 WMMQ – Lansing\'s Classic Rock – Lansing Classic Rock Radio
It was 75 years ago when a disgruntled employee intentionally started a fire in the state office (Lewis Cass) building.
In February 1951, 19-year-old state clerk Richard Shay was worried he may have to serve time in the military and get sent overseas to fight in the Korean war.
The Lewis Cass structure was built in 1921, replacing an earlier, demolished one.
When the building was being reconstructed after the 1951 fire, the seventh floor was removed and never replaced.
On June 30, 2020, the Lewis Cass building was renamed the Elliott-Larsen Building.