Kingsgate Cinema demolition begins

Lou Whitmire, Mansfield News Journal
·1 min read
The west walls of the former Kingsgate Cinema are demolished Tuesday morning, exposing the seats of one of the theaters.
The west walls of the former Kingsgate Cinema are demolished Tuesday morning, exposing the seats of one of the theaters.

Skilken Gold Real Estate in November announced plans to demolish the old Kingsgate Cinema on Park Avenue West.

Monday and Tuesday a significant amount of demolition work was under way.

Eric Elizondo, senior vice president of operations, updated Mansfield Planning Commission at its meeting Nov. 24. He previously told the commission that Iron Pony Motorsports of Westerville was interested in rehabbing the Kingsgate property and the adjacent former JCPenney building.

"We're still in negotiations," Elizondo said. "We were hopeful that we were going to be further along."

But the plans changed earlier this month.

"We want to proceed with the demolition of 1300 (Park Avenue West)," Elizondo said. "Iron Pony was going to renovate, but that's not in the cards right now. Things have changed quite a bit."

From the Ground Up is the demolition contractor and the razing should be completed within a month; the asbestos abatement is completed, Marc Milliron, codes and permits manager for the city of Mansfield, said Monday.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Demolition underway of Kingsgate Cinema