The abandoned Ruskowski Building on the west side of South H Street is still abandoned.

Windows boarded, paint peeling, the graffiti-marked two-story structure that serves as the south wall of Art Alley is slated for demolition to make way for a three-story, multi-use construction by Coastal Vision, Inc. of Carlos Yanez. &#8220We/re into final planning and engineering,C said Project Manager, Jerri Phillips. &#8220It/s been approved by the city. We/re bidding it out now.

&#8220Once all plans and engineering are done we/ll take out permits for the demolition.C

Last year, published reports predicted demolition for last September with completion late this year.

&#8220That/s what we thought then,C Yanez said, with a chuckle. &#8220It ended up being a lot more complicated getting the engineering done than we anticipated. The residential and commercial each has different demands on the infrastructure. &#8220

Both Yanez and Phillips said no new obstacles have arisen but declined to estimate a new date for the condemned building/s fall. Phillips suggested the old building is settling downward even now.

&#8220With the rain, the roof is leaking and the brick is disintegrating. We were hoping the rain would dissolve it,C she said, tongue in cheek. The building was erected in 1904.

The old structure has a 75-foot frontage on H and is 140 feet deep. Its successor will be bounded on the south by the city Parks & Recreation Department/s planned pocket park.

The new Victorian-style building will bring 10,000 square feet of office space on the first and second floors and residences on the third.

Correspondent John McReynolds can be reached at

736-6352 or 10655@impulse.net.

May 2, 2005