EDGEWATER — After more than 15 years of sitting vacant, demolition of the controversial former Edgewater Medical Center's old hospital buildings is underway.
On Wednesday, crews were at the site tearing down the back end of an eight-story building on the Hollwood Avenue side of the hospital, just west of an alley that divides the campus.
The building was once the site of the medical center's helipad.
On the Edgewater Avenue side, a fenced partition has extended over the sidewalk west of the alley, where 1619-1625 W. Edgewater Ave. buildings are being prepped for demolition.
Though 1619 and 1621 W. Edgewater Ave. are still standing, work has already begun on taking apart the structures' interiors, Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th) told residents earlier this month.
The property is also being inspected by exterminators, a process that has been going on since October and will continue to be monitored even throughout the redevelopment of the residential buildings, developers said.
The old medical center property is being redeveloped into a small green space, single-family homes, apartments and parking.
