Pierce County officials announced this week a 110-year-old, county-owned building in downtown Tacoma will be demolished soon.

The so-called “911 Building,” located at 911 Tacoma Ave. S. and across the street from the County-City Building and the Pierce County Jail, has been home to a variety of businesses over the years, including the Canton Cafe, Moby Dick’s Tavern, George’s Tavern, the Tacoma Liquor Company, as well as various county departments, according to the Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room online Tacoma-Pierce County Buildings Index and Pierce County officials.

Pierce County officials report the 12,500-square-foot building, which was built circa-1904/1905, had been lightly used in recent years, and was vacated last year after an analysis of structural and electrical systems deemed it unsafe for occupancy.

A contract was recently awarded to Tacoma-based Dickson Company to complete a deconstruction and demolition project that will occur in two phases. First, the contractor will spend two weeks removing materials containing asbestos, including floor tile and adhesives, as well as mercury thermostats and fluorescent lamp ballasts. Once this phase is completed, the building will be demolished, leaving behind the floor slab and building foundations.

The so-called “selective demolition” project aims to maximize the salvage, reuse and recycle materials, and minimize items sent to landfills and waste streams. Pierce County Facilities Management has hired an independent inspection firm to verify hazardous and regulated materials are removed and disposed of in compliance with all local, regional, state and federal requirements.

There are no further plans for the site at this time, according to Pierce County officials.