DOVER, Del.- An eyesore in downtown Dover will soon be gone for good.
Demolition is underway for the building on the corner of West Loockerman and South New streets.
The property was severely damaged by a fire in March, that killed one person and injured several others. Dover City Council voted to tear it down in August, but the process did not begin until Dec. 5.
Now, Chief Code Inspector, Eddie Kopp, said the project is way ahead of schedule.
"Originally it was supposed to take 60 days," said Kopp. and "We are ahead of schedule because a lot of complications that we were preparing for did not come up so it's a matter of clean up at this point."
Kopp noted, "the hard part is over."
Director of city planning and inspections, Mary Ellen Gray, believes the property could be the cornerstone of the downtown revitalization process.
Gray said she's hopeful that "the parcel will not stay vacant for long."
She also mentioned how revitalization funds from the Downtown Dover Partnership will be a big help.
"I know the citizens and the businesses are excited that this project went as smoothly as it did or as it's going and we are wrapping it up soon," said Gray. "Then we get to move to the next phase of the project which is redevelopment."
Kopp said the building is 95 percent demolished, but one masonry wall remains.
The next step of moving debris off the site will likely start next week and the demolition is expected to be completed by the end of January.