The four-story Windsor Hotel at the Gloversville Four Corners being taken down. The building next door housing The Leader-Herald was closed during the demolition.

Demolition of the Windsor Hotel got under way at a cautious but steady pace yesterday.

The hotel, last of the four buildings at the Four Corners ordered to be demolished by the city, began to fall under the giant crane's clamshell yesterday morning.

When work by the demolition contractor ended yesterday afternoon, the rear of the structure at 4-6 East Fulton Street resembled a bombed-out shell in Germany during World War II.

The rear wall of the four-story building was down to almost the second-floor level and the east and west (side) walls were angled, from the rear wall up through the roof, near the rear of the William B. Collins Company building at 8-10 East Fulton Street.

City Engineer W. Steven Seaboyer said Friday that the razing of the building, once known as the "queen of Capitaland," would be completed sometime late this week.

Mayor Eugene D. Reppenhagen, who was one of the many "sidewalk superintendents" yesterday, said that the contractor was proceeding with "extreme caution," noting that one of the fears was damage to surrounding buildings. To prevent any damage from falling debris, a high chain link fence was erected at the rear of the hotel building.

Bloomfield Building Wreckers of Troy is the contractor for the demolition project, having torn down already three other structures at the Four Corners -- the buildings at 1-3, 5 and 7 South Main Street.

Seaboyer estimated that once the former hotel was completely razed, cleanup operations would take another one to two weeks. Part of the cleanup work includes the filling in of the cellars and then the laying of a gravel base.

Last week, part of the cleanup work was completed with the removal of rubble from the sites of the three former buildings that once graced the South Main Street intersection as well as the filling in of those cellars. The basements were filled in at this date in order to give the demolition crews more room to work in on the last structure.

Yesterday two streets were blockaded to protect vehicular pedestrian traffic. South Main from the Four Corners to Washington Street and East Fulton Street from the city's main junction to Fremont Street were closed to traffic in both directions.

Harby Associates is the owner of the four-story hotel as well as the building which formerly occupied the site at 1-3 South Main Street. The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Association owned the building at 5 South Main while Seven South Main Street Inc. owned the structure at 7 South Main.

Cost of the demolition is reported to be in the neighborhood of $59,000, the price of the contract between the city and the Troy firm.

The Common Council, in November, authorized the proceeding with demolition after the owners failed to comply with a 10-day order either to begin repairs or demolition of those buildings.

That order was made by Seaboyer, who was hearing officer during the show cause administrative action taken by the city. Prior to those hearings, inspections of all buildings were made by city officials.

The city is footing the initial bill for the demolition, but the cost eventually will be placed as a special assessment on the land on which the buildings formerly stood.

Seaboyer pointed out Friday afternoon that the one factor which would slow demolition of the last building is the weather. "Bad weather is the only thing that would cause a delay. If there is a heavy snow and visibility is poor, then we won't work," he said Friday afternoon.

However, during Friday's snowstorm, the contractor's crews graded properties that had been razed earlier.

L-H Units Again on Night Shift

Due to the continuing demolition of the Windsor Hotel building, the news, composing, and pressroom staffs of The Leader-Herald once again are working the night shift, starting at 7.

The main office building at 8-10 East Fulton Street as well as the pressroom building on Washington Street are, and will continue to be, closed during the day until the demolition of the hotel is completed.

The building has been closed during demolition hours as a "safety precaution to personnel."

Because of the nighttime shifts, much of the "live" news that occurs during the day will not be included in that day's edition.

However, the main office will be open daily from 3:30 until 6 daily, during this period. Meanwhile, advertising personnel will continue to work from 9 until 5 out of the Johnstown office, 204 West Main Street.