
After nearly four years of construction, the Hobarts City Hall is scheduled to be demolished on Thursday.
As the city prepares to unveil a $9.5bn plan to demolish the historic building, residents are already waiting anxiously for the end of the demolition process.
“We don’t know when the demolition will be over,” said John Simeone, an advocate for the building’s former occupants.
“It’s going to be a very slow process because of the nature of this building.”
The demolition of the former Hobart Building is due to begin at 8:30pm on Thursday morning.
This is the second time this year that Hobart has demolished its historic buildings.
In June, the city began demolition of Hobart Hall in an effort to replace it with a new high-rise residential tower.
However, after the demolition was completed, the old building was razed to make way for a new development that will include a hotel, office and retail space.
The Hobart building has served as Hobart’s historic centre for nearly 300 years, and has housed the Hobarty Museum since 1892.
“The Hobart Hotel, the historic Hobart Museum and the Hobarth Library have been a significant part of the city’s heritage and identity for over 300 years,” said City Manager David Jones in a statement.
“These buildings are in a state of disrepair and need to be brought to the highest standards of modern building construction.”
Residents and supporters of the historic buildings are hoping to prevent the demolition.
“This is not just about the buildings.
It’s about the history of this city,” said Jodie D’Alfonso, a former Hobarts resident.
“When we see Hobart going through the same process as Hobarts former mayor, it’s really heartbreaking and it’s a little scary.”
The Hobarts building has been the site of a number of public hearings and public consultations.
The last public hearing took place in October, when residents and residents of surrounding neighbourhoods participated in a forum organised by the Hobasthinks Community Alliance (HCA).
The Hobarth residents are also seeking to have the demolition of their historic building halted.
“If they can’t get the demolition to happen this week, then they have a real problem on their hands,” said D’Alonso.
The demolition is expected to take about six weeks.
It is expected that the demolition work will begin at 9:30am on Thursday and that the first demolitions of the Hobast Building will take place at 10am on Friday.
A final demolition will take about four weeks, according to city spokesperson, Sarah MacKinnon.