Saskatoon's Barry Hotel No More
Old Riversdale hotel finally coming down
Reported By Tim Amey
Posted December 17, 2008 - 3:07pm
The Barry Hotel has finally met its maker. Silverado Demolition will be hard at work all week tearing down the old Riversdale hotel. The Barry has been a source of aggravation for both residence and police. Saskatoon Police recorded a multitude of calls there over the years.
The man behind the controls of the excavator has a connection of sorts to the Barry. Dennis Hoehn is a former Saskatoon Police officer who used to haul people out of the Barry all the time. But he is not shedding any tears while he rips it down. “A lot of people are saying there glad to see it go down, “he says. “And it’s old…no insulation, nothing... just brick.”
Another person happy to see the Barry gone is Dave Rose. He co-owns Rose’s Furniture across the alley. He says the neighbourhood has really cleaned up since the Barry was shut. “No more drugs, no more booze. It’s really cleaned up the area.”
He says people are now more comfortable walking down the sidewalk.
Silverado says it will take at least a week and a half to take the building down, then another month to clear out all the rubble.
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