Three buildings will be demolished on Virginia’s town square soon due to safety concerns. According to a report from the Journal-Courier, the old Joy Theatre and two other buildings on the northwest side of the square will be coming down because the facade has crumbled onto a city street, prompting the street to close out of safety issues. The City Council voted to demolish the buildings earlier this month.
The City of Virginia will use roughly $128,000 from its Tax Increment District funds to demolish the structure and clean up the property. The city will also be able to reopen West Springfield Street, which has been closed for more than a year due to the building’s deterioration. The building’s last official use was 2006, but has remained unoccupied since the beginning of the decade according to the Journal-Courier.
Once the demolition is complete, the city will own the property with no reported plans for its future use.