Demolition starts next week on dangerous buildings along Broadway

The demolition of one of the city’s biggest eyesores begins Tuesday.

Ray’s Demolition will start preparations for the removal of the dilapidated buildings Friday and Monday. Demolition will then follow.

The busy corner in downtown Shelbyville has seen many businesses come and go over more than 100 years but they have sat vacant for many years now with no hope of relief.

There is no timeline for the completion of the tricky demolition due to its location and shared structures with other businesses in the area.

“The majority of (the demolition) will go quick. The end of the project will be more surgical demolition,” said City of Shelbyville Engineer Tyler Comstock. “It will take a couple of weeks … a little longer if they hit a snag in an old building. We are not exactly sure what we are getting into.”

The city is utilizing the Indiana Unsafe Building Law to execute demolition of a set of buildings that are falling apart – quite literally. All attempts to contact the owner of the property have failed leading the city to the demolition at a cost of just under $250,000.

The buildings are most notably connected to the Strand Theatre. There is a structural wall divider that must be protected which will make the end phase of demolition more complicated.

“Once they get in closer (to the wall divider), it will be more surgical demolition. There will probably use hand saws and be more delicate cutting bricks,” said Comstock.

Utilities in the area will be compromised as well.

“We are prepared for what is coming,” said Comstock. “We’ve investigated the utilities and made sure they are disconnected to the buildings being demolished.”

Buildings in the area, including the Strand, share a sanitary pipe that runs through the basement of the buildings being demolished.

“There is no reason to save (the pipe). It’s too far gone,” said Comstock.

The pipe will be cut out during demolition and replaced with a new pipe.

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