sa国际传媒官网网页入口

For decades, the Bliss Building and its anchor tenant, Lindy鈥檚 Diner, served as a staple of Downtown sa国际传媒官网网页入口. Soon, it will be a pile of rubble, as crews prepare to demolish the historic landmark.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just been a devastating event, devastating in every way,鈥� said Dawn Vatoseow, who owns the building with her husband, Steve Vatoseow. 鈥淭hat was our whole life 鈥� that restaurant and our customers. We put our lives into that place, so to lose it in a heartbeat and having to watch that building be demolished is absolutely heart-wrenching.鈥�

On Friday, the city鈥檚 Planning Department issued a permit for sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 Guzman Construction Solutions to begin demolition work on the building, constructed in 1905.

The city said demolition was necessary following a partial collapse of the building, at 500 Central NW, in late April. Planning Department spokesperson Tim Walsh said inspections from both the city鈥檚 structural engineers and third-party engineers showed that tearing the building down was the best path forward.

After the April 27 collapse, the city gave the Vatoseows until May 15 to apply for either a renovation or demolition permit, or the city would move forward with demolition plans. On May 15, the city gave the owners a two-week extension to decide because the building鈥檚 insurer, State Farm, had not yet inspected it and determined a payout number.

Dawn Vatoseow said results from State Farm would help the owners make an informed decision about the property and see if renovating was an option. But more than two weeks later, she said the owners still do not have the information they need, leaving them without time and not much of a choice.

鈥淪tate Farm has not responded to the claim yet, and the only way the building is going to get rebuilt is if State Farm covers the claim,鈥� Dawn Vatoseow said. 鈥淭he city only gave me an additional two weeks, and they want the building down.鈥�

With the building being a historic landmark, Dawn Vatoseow said she thinks it would be worth taking the time to look into options for saving it, 鈥渂ut that鈥檚 not an option for the city,鈥� she said. Mayor Tim Keller previously said that the city couldn鈥檛 wait longer than two weeks due to safety concerns.

鈥淭he Bliss Building has been part of sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 story for generations, and we know many are sad to see this outcome,鈥� Keller said in a statement. 鈥淥ur priority is protecting public safety and moving quickly to address the risks posed by this structure while supporting the Downtown businesses, residents and visitors.鈥�

Road closures at Fifth Street and Central Avenue will remain in effect due to ongoing structural instability, the city said. It鈥檚 unclear exactly when the demolition will begin, but Planning Director Alan Varela said the city began coordinating with Guzman Construction Solutions on Monday to develop an 鈥渆xpedited schedule so that this unfortunate matter can be taken care of as soon as possible.鈥�

Insurance coverage on the Bliss Building totaled $2.3 million, and demolition of the building will cost about $1 million, Dawn Vatoseow said.

If State Farm responds to the claim and agrees to cover the demolition cost, then the Vatoseows will get to keep the land, assuming they can pay the fines that the city has levied against them for the fencing, concrete barriers and security placed at the property.

If insurance doesn鈥檛 come through, Dawn Vatoseow said the city would have to handle the demolition and would likely seize the property and place a lien on it. A lien is a legal claim against a property, which would allow the city to recover demolition costs, potentially through a future sale of the property.

鈥淥ur entire livelihood has been taken away from us,鈥� Dawn Vatoseow said, citing both the restaurant she and her husband ran for decades and the other rental units within the building. 鈥淭hat money has stopped. We have been left with zero income, so it's not like we have a lot of options as far as covering any of this.鈥�

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.