PLYMOUTH - The front of the former Plymouth Hotel collapsed early Saturday afternoon.
"It's basically a total collapse at this point," said Jamie Akers, a member of the Plymouth Fire Department. "Witnesses said they heard a 'pop' and the rest of it came down."
The call came in at 1:20 p.m. Authorities closed Trux and East Main streets, evacuating several businesses and the residents who live above them.
On Friday, the Richland County Land Bank had an emergency meeting to accept a bid for demolition from D&R Demolition, based in Bowling Green.
The plan was for the demolition to begin Monday if the company and Kelly McCoy worked out an agreement regarding liability. McCoy owns a room on the former hotel's first floor and has been renovating the adjoining property with plans to open a bar.
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McCoy was among a small crowd of people who gathered in the downtown.
"It just needs to come down. They need to clean this up," she said.
McCoy said she had not talked to her attorney about an agreement with D&R Demolition and didn't know the status of negotiations.
She added she didn't know how Saturday's collapse, aided by strong winds and rain on Friday, would affect her plans.
"I just want to get through the demo," McCoy said.
Since the former hotel and McCoy's proposed bar share a wall, the demolition will be risky.
"We're trying to keep that integrity, but there's no real guarantee," land bank manager Amy Hamrick said at Friday's meeting.
Plymouth police Capt. Montel Gordon, who was off duty Saturday, came to the scene to help.
"We're waiting for the contractor to come in and inspect it," he said.
Bart Hamilton, board chairman for the land bank, also showed up to evaluate the damage.
"Water destroys everything," he said. "Water destroyed this building."
The demolition could take four or five days.
"From what I know of demolition, that sounds about right," Hamilton said.
Knocking down the structure at 26 Trux St. recently took on a new sense of urgency after a back portion of the building collapsed on July 30, prompting the village to close the sidewalk in front and on Ohio 603. The first floor had already begun to collapse.
The damage was worsened after a man crashed a stolen car into the building. He subsequently passed away.
The land bank had mulled whether to take ownership of the building. Hamrick said the group has been trying to find money for a demolition since 2016. Plymouth officials have asked for the land bank's help to demo the structure for years.
Charles Rothschild sat on a bench with his wife and two other women, watching the action. His daughter and son-in-law own Bullseye Hair & Tanning Salon at 10 E. Main.
Six patrons were getting their hair done when the evacuation orders came. Rothschild's daughter, Cristy Bruner, was not at work Saturday.
"If my daughter was here, you could fill that page four times over," he told a reporter.
Rothschild said he was upset that authorities did not apprise his daughter of the situation. He contacted her himself.
Shirley Wolf is just down the street at Stiches in Time, which she calls a hobby more than a business. She and her husband live above the business.
Wolf said she has been taking pictures of the damaged property every couple of days to document the progression. She wasn't there when the front of the hotel collapsed Saturday afternoon.
"I'm so disappointed. I wanted to see it come down," Wolf said.
She was still pleased with the day's developments.
"Thank God and greyhound it's down ... and nobody got hurt," Wolf said, making reference to a Roy Clark song.
mcaudill@gannett.com
419-521-7219
Twitter: @MNJCaudill
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