CitySquare making progress
By Linda Bock TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WORCESTER - Gigantic concrete slabs, once part of the top floor of the Worcester Common Outlets mall parking garage, came crashing to the ground yesterday as demolition began in earnest at what will become CitySquare.
"We're so excited," said James B. Johnson, vice president of corporate real estate at The Hanover Insurance Group Inc., the principal financial investor in the project.
The downtown redevelopment project has been greatly anticipated.
On Foster Street yesterday, a small audience watched a large excavator with a super-sized jackhammer attack the fifth floor of the garage. The jackhammer struck the garage, weakening section by section until a giant piece came down in a thud.
CitySquare is a 12-acre public-private mixed-use downtown development project set to be built on the site of the former mall. The plan calls for a combination of office, medical, retail, and park-like spaces. CitySquare II Development Co. LLC, owner of CitySquare, is managed by Leggat McCall Properties LLC. The Hanover Insurance Group is the principal financial investor in the project.
"This is such a great moment for the city," Mr. Johnson said before reaching for his cellphone to snap a few pictures. "A historic moment for the city."
Some onlookers plucked a piece of the history. People in hardhats followed suit and grabbed small chunks of concrete as souvenirs. Construction workers have been working since August to prepare the site for demolition. That work includes asbestos removal, reinforcing underground structures and removing debris.
Jeff Ganem, vice president and senior project manager for Leggat McCall and CitySquare II Development Co., was also watching from the center island.
"This has been a long time coming," Mr. Ganem said. "We're excited."
Mr. Ganem said the demolition work that started in the north end of the garage yesterday should take between three or four days. He said it would take several weeks to remove the debris. The north end of the mall is the next area set for demolition, and then the south end of the east garage. A section of the garage will be left standing. The section of the garage being demolished will be the site of a new building.
Mr. Ganem said much of the demolished material will be recycled on site.
Some who work downtown have been anticipating the demolition since the arrival of the big-gun construction equipment.
Joe Bailey, who works on the seventh floor of a Front Street office building, was out to watch the first parts of the garage fall to the ground.
"Down she goes!" he exclaimed as concrete blocks tore away from the building and crumbled into a heap.
Water was sprayed on the demolition site to keep dust down.
Mr. Bailey said he was one of the last people to walk through the garage last June as workers were already closing down its sections.
"The mall was beautiful, but it was a lousy area," Mr. Bailey said. He said he hopes the CitySquare project will be a boost to downtown Worcester.
"I'm sure I'll be watching."