Harrisburg moves to demolish condemned building, once home to Riviera Hotel

Demolition is underway on a building at Sixth and Kelker streets in Harrisburg that has been scene of a series of partial collapses in recent years.

The building, once home to the Riviera Hotel, has been condemned since a fire there in 2010.

Alarmed by the building's deteriorating conditions, city Codes Administrator Dave Patton said the city decided to move forward with demolition as quickly as possible, and Mayor Eric Papenfuse signed a Declaration of Emergency.

The cost of demolition is approximately $25,000, Patton said.

The current owners of the property are in bankruptcy court, so were unable to undertake the demolition, but Patton said they have agreed to a payment plan to repay the cost of tearing down the building.

"Personally I had visited this establishment in my younger years so it is with great sadness to see it demolished," Patton wrote in an email responding to questions about the demolition. "It's unfortunate that properties such as this that have historical significance fall to deterioration and rob the city of its past."

Source: PennLive.com