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Demolition of buildings on Broad Street between Seventh and Eight streets to make room for Augusta Commons is expected to be completed around the first week of February. Only two of the five buildings targeted for demolition remain.
CHRIS THELEN/STAFF |
Demolition for park makes progress
From Reynolds Street, what used to be part of the heart of Augusta looks like a war zone, but not for much longer.
Demolition in the 800 block of Broad Street to make way for the city's downtown park, Augusta Common, is about 30 percent complete and should be finished around the first week in February, said Hiram Thompson, the president of Thompson Building Wrecking Co. Inc.
Of the five buildings targeted for demolition, the shells of only two remain - the old Belk's Department Store building, which later housed the Richmond County Board of Health, and the building that housed Music World, said Mr. Thompson, whose company is a subcontractor to general contractor Advanced Outdoor Services.
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Pieces of a building are ripped apart during the demolition on Broad Street. The park's construction is set to begin on the areas that have been cleared.
CHRIS THELEN/STAFF |
Construction is about to begin on the areas that have been cleared, Mr. Thompson said.
Thompson Wrecking is salvaging some "excellent timbers" from the Belk's building that are going to an Augusta millwork company to be turned into heart pine flooring and paneling. The company also is salvaging many of the bricks from that building, he said.
Augusta Common, with an athletic field lawn area, sidewalks, lights and a fountain, will be the site of community events and festivals.
The $3.4 million park is expected to draw more people downtown, increase business and improve property values. It will stretch across half the 800 block from the riverfront to Broad Street and will be bordered on the north by the future permanent home of the Morris Museum of Art.
Reach Sylvia Cooper at (706) 823-3228 or sylviaco@augustachronicle.com.
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