“Hamilton is blessed with only one west-east route — Main Street, the highway and High Street — and is in the process of really performing miracles aesthetically,” said Dr. Louis Barich, a dermatologist who said he owned the structure for about three decades.
“The situation with this particular building is it was ancient, and bulging at the seams, and (there were) safety factors involved,” Barich said. “To make it safe as possible to walk on the sidewalk and the building not falling on anybody, we discovered defects and had a choice of monumental repairs or achieving the maximum safety factors of tearing the building down.”
Vickers Demolition of Trenton did the demolition work on the 2,958-square-foot building for an estimated $16,300. Barich said he was not pressured to raze the building by the city, which granted the demolition permit.
City manager Joshua Smith confirmed that the city was not involved in the decision. Not far to the east of the property, the CORE Fund has been working to restore Main Street buildings, while city leaders have been examining widening of sidewalks along Main, with hopes of converting Main Street near the Great Miami River into an entertainment district.
“After seeing the hazardous nature of the bricks — it was starting to bulge — for safety sake, we tore the building down,” Barich said.
When asked about his plans for the land that remains, Barich said he is “open for suggestions — if you want to put that in your article, OK. It might come up with somebody that has a good idea.”
Other businesses that have occupied the building included Killian's Cupboard, now at 575 Main St.; offices; and a barber shop.
“The city has been doing a marvelous job, aesthetically, on the east-west route,” Barich said.
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