January 11, 2019 – Demolition on the vacant Fat Daddy’s buildings will begin on Monday, January 14. The City awarded the $540,000 bid to R&R Excavating, Inc., which will complete the asbestos abatement, building demolition and site restoration. Part of the demolition will include salvaging 19 granite and terra cotta features from the buildings. All sidewalks adjacent to the buildings will be closed until demolition is complete, which is expected to take up to 75 days, weather permitting. After the demolition, the site will be seeded and new sidewalks will be installed. The anticipated completion date for this project is May 2019.
Located at the southwest corner of Michigan and Monroe Streets, the trio of buildings has been deemed a safety hazard and structurally unsafe. Nearly 20 years ago, a fire broke out in the middle building, causing most of it to collapse into its basement behind the façade. The northern building’s façade has also separated from its roof, while the southern building has experienced several fires over the years.
Several attempts had been made to redevelop the buildings, most recently in 2017.