The A Street Building in Yakima, Washington has been demolished. Historic preservationists tried in vain to keep the structure intact for historical reasons, but the county commissioners felt that the community would be better served by using the land for a different purpose.
"I think we gave it a really good effort," says Scott Irons, chair of the Yakima Historic Preservation Commission. "We had support from people all over the community and across the state to try and save this building."
The A Street Building in Yakima was known to contain asbestos, and asbestos abatement would have been too costly.
The A Street Building had stood vacant for over a year. Even so, the historical society worked tirelessly to find funding to renovation the building. Ultimately, they were unable to do so, and demolition fell to the county commissioners.
Now that the building has been demolished, a park will be installed in its place. Many residents of Yakima are pleased by this development, and felt that it was time for the A Street Building to be torn down to make room for something new.
Concerns over a lack of asbestos abatement prior to the building's demolition, however, have prompted residents to question whether or not the area is a health hazard.
Asbestos fibers can be found in older buildings, and is almost always present in structures built before the 1980s. The asbestos fibers are a component in older floor and ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, siding, and other building materials. When inhaled, asbestos is toxic and carcinogenic, and exposure is linked to several diseases, including asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer.
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