City says demolition of Hudson Jewelers Building went as planned

ALTON - Alton Public Works Director Bob Barnhart said everything went as planned during the demolition of the old Hudson Jewelers Building on Belle Street yesterday. 

The actual destruction was handled by Kamalduski Construction and the building's owners, who wanted to convert the old jewelry store into a bakery before structural problems were found. It was then condemned in January 2017 and scheduled for demolition in late March. A large transformer and power lines adjacent to the building maintained by Ameren Illinois prevented the demolition from occurring until April 10. 

"We wanted to start the demolition on a Monday, so if there were any issues, the downtown businesses could be opened again to foot traffic without liability by the weekend," Barnhart said. 

Fortunately, the building was ripped down with construction implements successfully Monday. Barnhart said the project was completed around 3 p.m. Monday, and the portion of Belle Street between the building and Mac's Timeout was reopened shortly following. 

"Right now, they are cleaning up the foundation, hauling off the debris, and hauling in rock and leveling the site," Barnhart said. "It should be finished by tomorrow." 

The building will be replaced by a rock parking lot. 

Alton's next major demolition project will be the Alton Cine. Barnhart said the city is working with that property's owners to complete that demolition in a timely manner as well. 

Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.

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