Crews began to knock down the old Truell building on Essex Street today. The building, which has been empty for years and is owned by the city was once home to The Claddagh Pub & Restaurant, now located on Canal Street.
Several city officials poked around the old pub yesterday morning, grabbing a few final souveneirs before there was nothing left. The roof of the building had collapsed in several areas and water and nature had taken a serious toll on the structure. I shot some video of that final walkthrough that will be part of a larger video piece once the building is down. For now, I’ve uploaded some raw video of today’s demolition.
The wrecking ball will continue to pummel the building for several days (they were just getting started today) and officials say it’ll take the better part of two weeks before that huge chunk of Essex Street is just an empty hole. It’s one of several renovations and demolitions planned on Essex Street, the most important of which is across the street from the Truell — the Intown Mall. Northen Essex Community College is plugging $20 million into renovating the site into the Allied Health and Science Center.
Noah R. Bombard is the new media editor for The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover. He is a former award-winning newspaper and magazine editor who has been covering news in Massachusetts since 1997.