Freed of parking
Garage's demolition is progress
By WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
WORCESTER - An outside observer might shrug and say "It's only a parking garage. What's the big deal?"
But this is Worcester. And the garage in question has been among the most visible symbols of the roadblocks — literal and figurative — that have stood in the way of the redevelopment of the city's downtown.
Yesterday morning, on a soggy day in the middle of a soggy week, demolition work began on the parking garage that has served shoppers from the days of the Galleria to the era of the Worcester Common Outlets. With a crunch of metal teeth and a cascade of crumbling concrete, workers began the long-awaited work of clearing away the old to make way for the new.
The CitySquare project is a long way off yet. There are engineering and financing challenges to be solved, and any number of detours and unwelcome surprises to come.
Nonetheless, the demolition of the parking garage is a huge and tangible step forward for Worcester. A project of great promise suddenly seems a lot more real.