ENUMCLAW, Wash. — Demolition crews began taking down a building Wednesday that stood in downtown Enumclaw for more than 100 years.
City engineers deemed the abandoned brick building known as the Paulson Chevrolet building unsafe.
Someone reported seeing a bulge on the front of the building last Saturday, according to Enumclaw Police spokesperson Sarah Taylor.
“It had become a safety issue,” said Taylor. “It was so unstable it was at a point where it could collapse.”
The city closed the adjacent sidewalks and streets, and ordered the building to be demolished.
“It’s sad,” said Sandi Moreno, who owns Leony’s Cellars Winery three doors down from the damaged building.
She was one of several hundred people who came to watch the demolition start Wednesday.
Moreno’s business is in a part of the structure that will not be torn down, but she was concerned about the demolition potentially damaging the 110 barrels of wine stored in the back of her tasting room.
“Everything we own is in that building,” said Moreno.
Taylor said demolition work could possibly continue into Thursday.