Demolition day
PARKING GARAGE TOPPLED AT CITYSQUARE SITE
By Linda Bock TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WORCESTER - Gigantic concrete slabs that were once part of the top floor of the Worcester Common Outlets mall parking garage came crashing to the ground this morning as demolition began in earnest at what will become CitySquare.
"We're so excited," said Jay Johnson, vice president of corporate real estate at The Hanover Insurance Group, the principal financial investor in the project.
The downtown redevelopment project has been anticipated by many. On Foster Street this morning, a small audience watched a large excavator with a super-sized jackhammer attack the fifth floor of the garage. The jackhammer weakened section by section until a giant section came down in a thud.
CitySquare is a 12-acre mixed-use downtown development project set to be built at the former mall. The plan calls for a combination of office, medical, retail, residential and park-like spaces. CitySquare II Development Co. LLC, owner of CitySquare, is managed by Leggat McCall Properties LLC. The Hanover Group Inc. is the principal financial investor in the project.
"This is such a great moment for the city," Mr. Johnson said before reaching for his cellphone to snap a few pictures. "A historic moment for the city."
Some onlookers plucked a piece of history. A number of people in hardhats followed suit and grabbed small chunks of concrete as souvenirs. Construction workers have been working since August to prepare the site for demolition. That work includes asbestos removal, reinforcing underground structures and removing debris.
Jeff Ganem, vice president and senior project manager for Leggat McCall and CitySquare II Development Co., was also watching from a traffic island.
"This has been a long time coming," Mr. Ganem said "We're excited."
Mr. Ganem said the demolition work that started in the north end of the garage today should take about three or four days to complete. He said it will take several weeks to remove the debris. The north end of the mall is the next area set for demolition, and then the south end of the east garage. A section of the garage will be left standing. The section of the garage that is being demolished first is where one of the new buildings will be built.