Almost a year after the fire that left one of Cobleskill’s oldest building a shell of its former self, the former Harmony Acres building is down.
Demolition crews got to work on the once-grand United States Hotel, and after that Lambert’s, just after 9am Tuesday morning.
Watching, owner Mark Nadeau said it would be down in just a matter of hours.
After that?
“The site will be cleaned up and then the site will sit. For now,” he said.
The building’s demolition was bittersweet, said Cobleskill Partnership Inc. President Brian Kaiser, who also turned out to watch.
“It’s a mixed blessing,” Mr. Kaiser said. “I’m sorry to see what was once such an important building being taken down, but I’m glad that Mark stepped up to do it.
“A lot of landlords would have just left the mess. Mark deserves credit for not being one of them.”
Mr. Nadeau bought the building after the May 2010 fire with plans of taking it down and putting up new commercial space on the corner lot.
However, those plans were stalled by the cost of asbestos removal.
Mr. Nadeau said Tuesday said he has the necessary permits now to take down the structure.
If money has been no object, he said, he would have preferred to restore the building.
“So it’s bittersweet to see it coming down—even if this is the easy part. Dealing with the people who want to see me fail, that’s the hard part.
“But I’m passionate about this community. I care about this community. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
Village Codes Enforcement Officer Mike Piccolo confirmed that Mr. Nadeau had the necessary permits for the building’s demolition.