Josh McKenna pushes debris towards a scrap pile as Kugel Construction workers demolish the old Riverside Motel at the corner of Harrison Avenue and East Bridge Street in Centralia on Tuesday afternoon.
Josh McKenna pushes debris towards a scrap pile as Kugel Construction workers demolish the old Riverside Motel at the corner of Harrison Avenue and East Bridge Street in Centralia on Tuesday afternoon.
Josh McKenna pushes debris towards a scrap pile as Kugel Construction workers demolish the old Riverside Motel at the corner of Harrison Avenue and East Bridge Street in Centralia on Tuesday afternoon.
A long-abandoned property on Centralia’s main Harrison Avenue strip that once served as a stop for travelers to the Hub City is meeting its final demise, just after the property was sold to a new owner.
The Riverside Motel is no more, with Kugel Construction of Chehalis performing demolition on the decrepit property. The company began tearing down the buildings on the corner of Harrison Avenue and Bridge Street late last week, and expected to finish by today, company owner Adam Kugel said.
The demolition of the old buildings follows the sale of the property, which took place March 31, according to online tax records. Those files indicate the property changed hands from previous owner Harshida Thakor to AZ Centralia LLC March 31. The limited-liability corporation bought the parcel for $367,000.
The city of Centralia deemed the old motel, which was built in 1950, uninhabitable in 2009. In recent years, several incidents have plagued the property, including two fires. The first, in January 2010, was ruled arson; the property burned again in early February of this year in a blaze fire officials believed was caused by human activity, though the exact cause remains undetermined.
Future plans for the site include an AutoZone automotive parts store, the first in Lewis County. AutoZone owns several stores in Thurston County, including locations in Olympia, Yelm, Tumwater and Lacey.
The Chronicle reached out to AutoZone to see when the company planned to begin construction, but as of Wednesday that call was not returned. A spokesman for the company had told The Chronicle in late January the company hoped to open its local store in November and will likely employ 12 people.
Meanwhile, the property across Bridge Street from the planned store has become home to a new business of its own, as Dutch Bros. Coffee opened last Friday.
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Christopher Brewer: (360) 807-8235
