Essex House: Going, going and now history

HOLYOKE – The Essex House is about to be history in the Paper City.

Just before this edition went to press the majority of the building was down with only a part of facade still standing. A backhoe sat on top of the mound of wood and brick loading the debris into containers.

The question is now what will the city do with the soon to be empty lot.

Marcos Marrero, director of Planning & Economic Development, told Reminder Publications the city has “a few options.”

The city bought the lot behind the Essex House before demolition, which enlarges the size of the parcel that could be developed, he explained.

He said the area could be made into parking lot that would service businesses on that end of High Street or it could be an open space. He noted other empty lots nearby have served as unofficial parking lots for businesses.

He said the abutters to the property might be interested in the lot or part of it. Marrero said that marketing the lot as a location for a new building may be difficult, but that is also an option. That kind of “legacy development” does happen in cities, he said.  

Rory Casey, chief of staff for Mayor Alex Morse, had said on Jan. 5 the demolition job would take two to three weeks. The job was complicated by the removal of asbestos and lead.

He said one of the delays in addressing the demolition had been applying for the necessary permits from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.

The job began with crews spraying water on the building to keep dust from spreading during the job. Scaffolding was erected to protect adjacent buildings. 

Although city officials had said the top three floors would be the priority for removal in order to stabilize the building, the entire job has been done in about the predicted timetable. Marrero said the city wanted to make sure the people who live in the nine apartments above the nearby SalsaRengue Restaurant could return home as soon as possible.

“I applaud the department heads and contractors who worked so tirelessly to get the floors down within the three to five  week timeline we originally outlined. The city employed an all-hands-on-deck approach to this situation, and we are happy that life will soon return to normal for folks on High Street,” Morse said.