THUNDER BAY — The former European Bakery in the 600 block of Simpson Street was torn down on Monday.
The demolition of this building comes after two years of deterioration.
“We were somewhat delayed for various factors, but we’re happy to be able to bring that building down, also clean up the block and to ensure that it doesn’t remain as a concern for the community,” said Deanna Walker, manager of realty services for the City of Thunder Bay.
In July 2023, the building was severely damaged by a fire.
Following the fire, Walker said the building went into tax sale and the city acquired the land through a failed tax sale process last summer.
Since the incident, the city had been working with an external structural engineering firm to investigate the structural integrity of the building to figure out whether it would have to come down or whether the city could salvage it.
However, the old bakery was further damaged in April following an out-of-control pickup truck striking it and an engineer’s assessment recommended that the building be demolished.
Walker said the City has been conducting studies to inform possible next steps for the redevelopment options for the land, but they still need to learn what those are and are taking some steps to determine what might be options.
“We just thank [the public] for their patience and we will continue our work to do what we can to clean up that area,” said Walker.
