DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Danville is waiting to see when a more than 100-year history will come to an end. Bresee Tower has long been a pillar downtown, but crews are ready to get started with demolition. 

City officials said demolition could have started as early as 2 p.m. on Thursday, but that time has come and gone.

Vermilion County Museum Director Susan Richter took WCIA down memory lane of the building’s history.

“Back in 1917, during that early part of [its] history, throughout the state of Illinois these type buildings were being erected,” Richter said. “The thing that was unusual was for this to be built in what you would classify as a small town at that time.”

It was originally known as the First National Bank before it was eventually called the WAAI Tower, Collins Tower and, of course, Bresee Tower.

“It was really a structure that stood out at the time it was built and its always kind of been the lynchpin of downtown because everything seems to revolve around it,” Richter said.

The building’s 12 stories have sat empty for more than 20 years, and Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said it’s become a safety hazard as pieces of it continue falling into the street.

Williams remembered back to when his friend DJ’d there back in high school.

“Although I’m sad to see it go, we cannot continue to hold onto things that no longer serve this community, especially things that create danger or cause any issue,” Williams said.

The city got ownership of the building three years ago. Williams said although ideas were thrown around to renovate it, ultimately none of them panned out.

“As someone who loves history, I’ll be honest, I very much hoped I’d be the mayor that saved Bresee Tower,” Williams said. “I met with half a dozen developers all who had various plans, all who made various promises, [and] none of those promises came through.”

The courthouse annex alongside the building was torn down last month, and now it’s just a matter of time for when the same will be said about Bresee Tower.

Although it’ll be a new chapter for downtown, the building is being preserved in pictures.

“The building is going to be lost but the history won’t be,” Richter said. 

Again, it’s not certain when demolition will start. When things do get moving, you can watch here.  

Bresee Tower’s demolition will soon be joined by another building downtown. City Hall is moving to the Old National Bank building within the next year — leaving their current building to be torn down as well.