BUTLER, Pa. — A piece of Butler history that has been a fixture on Main Street for 87 years will be torn down after a failed push to make Worsley’s a historical landmark.
The store opened in 1927 and sold everything from paint and furniture to toys and knickknacks. But a
changed everything. Video from Chopper 11 showed flames shooting through the roof and firefighters working to contain them.
The building was ultimately condemned.
“They will start to tear down in the next few weeks,” Butler Mayor Tom Donaldson told Channel 11 News on Wednesday.
Donaldson said he worked with the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation to try to salvage Worsley’s, but money was an issue.
“It would've taken millions to bring it back up to code,” the mayor said.
Worsely’s and two other storefronts will be torn down. Asbestos abatement began Wednesday morning.
Donaldson said he knows the city has lost a historic landmark, but he continues to look toward the future.
“We're going to build Main Street up again, and we are going to bring in someone. This is not going to be a vacant lot,” he said.
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