Joe Root’s Grill, Manor Motel and Sandbar Draft House demolition will begin next month

Buildings on most of the West Eighth Street properties owned by the Millcreek Township General Authority will be demolished this spring.

Demolition of the former Joe Root’s Grill, Manor Motel, Sandbar Draft House & Grille and the motel wing of the Bel-Aire Hotel is expected to begin in mid-March and to be completed by the May 15 contract deadline, authority Executive Director Matt Waldinger said.

Empire Excavation & Demolition will do the work. Demolition cost is $242,000.

Asphalt parking areas also will be removed at Joe Root’s, the Manor Motel and Sandbar. Grass will be planted on the properties, Waldinger said.

Two buildings won’t be demolished in spring

The main portion of the Bel-Aire Hotel and the former Grasshopper shop are not scheduled for demolition this spring.

The hotel is set for demolition by the end of 2025, though the authority has not ruled out exploring new uses for the building, Waldinger said last fall.

An architectural and historical assessment of the Grasshopper building will be completed before its fate is decided. A number of residents have said that the building once was a schoolhouse and should be restored and reused, possibly as a visitor information center.

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