Demolition is finally underway on the dilapidated former Broadview Inn & Suites on the Public Square. A crew from JIMAX Demolition Corporation of Peoria started the process today as a large piece of Caterpillar equipment ripped through the restaurant portion of the property.
A few spectators sat in their vehicles to watch the demolition on a unseasonably chilly and windy day in Galesburg.
In February, the Galesburg City Council approved a bid of of $406,470.23 to demolish the former Broadview Inn & Suites and accompanying restaurant. JIMAX Demolition Corporation of Peoria will take down the structures by mechanical means, rather than using explosives or a wrecking ball.
JIMAX President James Kosner tells WGIL an ultra high-reach excavator will be used to demolish the nearly 70-feet tall, 7-story hotel portion of the property. The Caterpillar 352 custom demolition excavator has a ground to peak reach of 90 feet.
Once the restaurant is brought down, an ultra high-reach excavator will arrive to start the hotel portion of the demolition.
The hotel originally opened as a Howard Johnson Motor Lodge on May 1, 1978. The Broadview Inn & Suites closed in the Spring of 2020.