Aerial shot from Valley Aerial Optics.
The building at 195 Main St. (and the vacant pizzeria next door on Minerva Street) in Derby was taken down Sunday morning (July 11).
Demo permits were pulled in April, work had started then stopped, a deal was worked out to buy neighboring properties, and the demo resumed today.
The building is owned by Derby Shores, LLC. Check out photos here.
The building in April 2019.
There was no immediate word Sunday on future plans.
“Eventually we just want to have something nice for the city,” a lawyer representing the owners told The Valley Indy in April.
“I look forward to working with the owners on a responsible development plan for the entire block between Minerva Street and Caroline Street,” according to a post on Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan’s Facebook page.
The building was damaged during a storm in 2013.
The owners were ensnared in a court dispute with an insurance company over repair costs.
The building hasn’t been occupied since 2015.
Its chimney started to collapse in March 2019. Parts of the facade were falling off the building, under which sits a sidewalk bus stop, and one of its chimneys collapsed.
Bricks also fell off the building and onto the sidewalk below.
The Derby building inspector, who has since left the job, declared the building unsafe in March 2019. Blue scaffolding was erected around the building. It remained in that state for about two years or so.
The limited liability company that owns 195 Main St. include former Seymour Police Chief Michael Metzler and Phillip Hadden, who is a police officer, according to the company’s lawyer, as principals.
The sidewalk in April 2019.
