Downtown Demolition

In the coming weeks, the space where the historic Phoenix building sits will become a blank spot in the heart Hopkinsville. Despite the loss, it doesn't embody the overall trajectory of downtown development.

Bids ranged from $263,600 to $387,000, and three of the companies stated the cost of asbestos abatement as an addendum to their proposal.

A schedule outlined during a court hearing Thursday indicates the building will be removed within approximately 50 days.

During a History on Tap gathering, a discussion of historic preservation shifted to concerns about the impact of vagrancy on downtown.

Richard Holland constructed and furnished the opera house in grand fashion for $25,000 to $30,000 in 1882. He was 23 years old when it opened to the public.

Features of the Holland Opera House that have been hidden for decades resurfaced Thursday as demolition of the 140-year-old building continued.

The building that housed Boyd's Boutique & Bridal needs an entire wall replaced, an engineer said after an adjacent structure was demolished.

The work on South Main Street is expected to continue through March 3.

The city will pay East Construction Co. $388,110 to take down Lee's Game Room and the old Holland Opera House.

Hopkinsville City Council has a special meeting Thursday night to consider the future of the old Holland Opera House and Lee's Game Room on South Main Street.

The city is giving the property owner 90 days to declare how it will remedy the building's structural issues.

The work will cost an estimated $175,000 to $182,000, Community and Development Services officials explained at an Inner-City Residential Enterprise Zone board meeting.