Altoona natives, about to arrive in the downtown after a long absence, usually cannot help harboring certain expectations about what they will see, even if they haven’t kept in touch with their roots for years or even decades.

Most returnees, while reflecting on their Altoona past as they anticipate the downtown of today, recall the sights associated with the city’s long railroad history, images of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, the Mishler Theatre, Penn Alto Hotel and, perhaps, the towers for the elderly and handicapped.

Of course, they might also harbor in their minds numerous images of once-bustling downtown businesses and shopping venues that no longer exist.

What “old-timer” can forget the sidewalks crowded with people, many more on-street parking spots than are available at this time and the large signs that adorned buildings?

Then thoughts might shift to the huge, iconic William F. Gable Co. Department Store building — Gables — that towered over the business district, indicative of the decades-long prosperity 11th and 12th avenues proclaimed prior to the 1960s and ’70s, when businesses’ move to suburban shopping centers shifted.

What has happened to the Gables landmark recently is enough to sadden even those who weren’t avid shoppers back in the day, when the department store was living its heyday.

Many Mirror readers who peered at the Jan. 25 front-page article “City condemns Gables building” were taken aback by the new reality that suddenly had come into play.

“The city has condemned one of downtown’s iconic buildings after sprinkler heads broke in unheated sections Monday and Tuesday (Jan. 22 and 23),” the article began, “causing leakage and triggering the discovery of life safety concerns about fire protection, the electrical system and the structure itself.

“The condemnation of the Gables building as unfit for occupancy has forced the building’s six commercial tenants to vacate …,” the article continued. “City officials are gathering information on what repairs need to be done before the tenants can return…”

No doubt, the many people who continue to see the value of the large structure, even though its actual importance to the city has changed, have been scratching their heads and wondering how such neglect or forgetfulness could have befallen the building — how preparing the building for winter’s challenges seemed to have been ignored, intentionally or unintentionally.

Inspectors reportedly found some areas in the building — where there is bracing to support floor sections — having begun to heave, leading to concerns that the leakage could have exacerbated issues in that area.

Regardless, Interim City Manager Joe Merrill’s use of the word “catastrophic” to describe the events in question has understandably caused some city residents and others to ponder whether the Gables building might end up becoming another big structural headache like the McCrory’s Building was for years.

City officials must work closely with the Gables building’s owner to ensure that that does not happen. And, while they are at it, they need to discuss the attached condemned-and-closed parking garage, which should be resurrected, if possible.

The consensus seems to be that the building’s problems are capable of being resolved without too much consternation.

Get it done.

Altoona does not need a gaping hole in the strategic location that the Gables building occupies.