West Broad Street has reopened to traffic in both directions where the Kress Building once stood downtown, as workers near completion of the building's demolition.
The project began May 15, closing westbound traffic in front of
the building.
Contractor Gator Industrial of Joplin, Mo., is using new mortar to reinforce the brick walls of the buildings adjoining the space at 116 W. Broad St., said Lisa Thompson, Texarkana, Texas, public information officer.
After that, the only remaining step is to pour a concrete slab in the space. The city expects the work to be completed by the end of October.
Gator Industrial's winning bid for the project was more than $629,000.
Workers have salvaged many of the glazed terra cotta tiles from the building's facade, as well as enough of the building's canopy that it could be accurately restored. The city is storing the salvaged materials, and how they will be used remains to be seen.
The city accepted the building as a donation in 2009. It was a former S.H. Kress and Co. department store, notable for its art deco architecture.