Back then, the quirky shingle-covered building was skiers' one-stop shop, housing ski rentals, ticket sales, restrooms - just two of them - and the only restaurant and bar.

Though weathered and architecturally dated, the building was heartily eulogized at an end-of-the-season bash earlier this month. The death blow came Thursday morning, when a crew used a track hoe to claw away the building's facade, then pulled out the support beams with a heavy truck and cables.

Looking on was James "Hoody" Hards, who has been involved in the resort for decades.

"If those walls could talk," Hards said.

Within an hour, the building was a pile of rubble - providing an unobstructed view of its successor, Purgatory Lodge, a multi-storied building that will include not only a new day lodge but also residences and other amenities.

"That whole area that was old Purgy's will now be more beach area, more (outdoor) lounging area, to kind of take in that scene," said Loryn Kasten, spokeswoman for the resort.

The new day lodge will include a cafeteria-style restaurant that converts to sit-down dining at night. Inside, there will be seating for 137 and outside there will be ample decking seating with tables and heat lamps.

The lodge also will serve as a central check-in for guests of the resort's properties.

Though the new facilities will dazzle, nostalgia is unlikely to fade for the old building, which was beloved despite is flaws.

Author Charlie Langdon, in Durango Ski: People and Seasons at Purgatory, compared the oddly shaped structure to the donkey in the outdoor classic, Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes.

"She does not adapt, others adapt," Langdon wrote. "Others do not impose their will, she imposes hers."

And so it was, until the end.

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