Derelict Galesburg motel to be demolished by Peoria-based company

GALESBURG — A bid for the demolition of the Broadview Inn and Suites was unanimously approved by the Galesburg City Council on Monday.

The city now has a 15-day window to get a contract signed with the Jimax Demolition Corp. before sending a notice to the Peoria-based company to proceed, Steve Gugliotta, the city’s director of community development, said. Jimax will then have 30 days to begin work and 110 days to finish.

By that estimate, the derelict hotel located at 29 Public Square will be brought down no later than the end of July 2023.

Gugliotta said the building will be destroyed floor by floor and not all at once by wrecking ball. Once the job is finished, all the materials will be removed from the property except for a small portion of pavement that will remain on the south end of the property. All the pavement will be removed on the north end of the property, he said.

Galesburg will pay Jimax $406,470 to demolish the Broadview. City Manager Gerald Smith said the city received 11 bidders for the project, with one of the highest bids asking for $1 million to demolish the building.

The Broadview has run afoul of city ordinances since it closed in the spring of 2020. City documents have stated the building continues to be broken into, shows signs of physical disrepair and has lacked water since 2021, leaving it without fire protection.

The city received a Knox County court order in December 2022 allowing the city to move forward with advertising for the hotel’s demolition. In order to be granted a court demolition order, the city has to exhaust a lengthy process to illustrate that owners and other interested parties have been notified and given ample opportunity to make repairs to the property.

On Monday night, the Galesburg City Council unanimously approved beginning this demolition process for five other properties. The properties include residences located at 357 N. Chambers St., 58 N. Pearl St., 99 N. Elm St. and residences and detached garages located at 465 W. Second St. and 1450 Rock Island Ave.

Demolishing the five properties would cost an estimated $108,000 combined.

Councilmember Kevin Wallace was absent from the vote approving the Broadview’s demolition bid but was present for the vote on the other properties.

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Peoria company to demolish derelict motel on Galesburg square