By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com
Photo by Alex Bridge
In hopes to have the demolition of the former 208 restaurant building completed by the end of spring break, the Oxford leaders granted permission allowing crews to work longer hours.
The Oxford Board of Aldermen approved a request from the contractor to extend work hours from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday, March 9-15.
According to city law, construction crews can only work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday unless otherwise granted permission by the Board of Aldermen.
The demolition process was started this week; however, most of the demolition will take place next week while area schools are closed and most University of Mississippi students are out of town.
The sidewalk, parking spaces and southbound traffic lane were closed last week as a public safety precaution after Senior Building Inspector Chris Carter deemed the building unsafe when the interior section of the brick that was behind the plaster was exposed and revealed loose bricks during renovations.
“There is no structural integrity,” Carter said last week during an emergency meeting of the Courthouse Square Preservation Commission that approved the demolition of the building.
The closures will remain in place until the building is demolished and the area is deemed safe.
The location has been home to a slew of restaurants over the years including Grundy’s, Smitty’s, 208 and more recently, Stella Restaurant and Bar.
Currently, the building is owned by chef and restauranter John Currence and the City Grocery Restaurant Group who are planning to open a new po’boy restaurant in the building.
Built in 1880, the building has been renovated several times since with a major overhaul in 1945.
