On a stretch of East Cesar Chavez Street, where century-old houses sit beside new construction and vacant storefronts, a familiar building is now mostly gone.
The small wood-framed structure at 1010 E. Cesar Chavez St. — for years home to the café Cenote — has been reduced largely to a façade and dirt after demolition work that neighborhood leaders say went beyond what the city had approved.
The city has since issued a stop-work order at the property. Under the order, the project’s owner must submit a revised site plan and updated building permits. Failure to comply could result in the city revoking those permits entirely.
The owner said he wanted to save the character of the old building, but that it was structurally unsound and riddled with exposed asbestos…