To get harbor view, Clearwater demolishes Harborview Center
CLEARWATER, Fla. (FOX 13) - It's demolition day for the old Harborview Center. The downtown Clearwater landmark has been around for decades, but it's making room for a major revitalization project.
Demolition on the property started at the beginning of the year and the work is about half done. Today, work begins on the main building itself.
The three-story structure was built in 1961 and operated as a department store. It’s been vacant since 2009.
People gathered here about a week ago to celebrate the milestone of the building finally coming down.
“This is so symbolic to have this building come down because this just opens up the future,” one resident offered.
“The park will be beautiful. To just cross Cleveland Street and see the water will be just beautiful,” another added.
It’s all part of the ‘Imagine Clearwater’ plan to connect downtown to the waterfront. The project is still in the design phase, but the roughly $50-million plan currently includes about 19-acres of park space.