By turns considered both a unique feature of the town but more recently an eyesore by those passing through Terrace on Hwy16/Keith Ave., the former retail outlet Yellow House will soon be demolished, says its owner.
The olden style abode was a décor outlet for many years, but was ravaged by arson in 2011 – a fire started by two youth.
“The city’s been hounding me to take it down,” said part owner of Peninsular Estates Glen Saunders. “And it’s not just me. It’s two other shareholders in the company and they just said ‘take it down’.”
Since the arson’s fire, the charred building has sat empty as the owners tried to find a buyer who could salvage an only partly damaged addition – thinking a car lot could fit.
“They wanted an 800 square-foot building. Would be perfect for them for an office and then have a large lot, but the deals we looked at just never came to fruition,” said Saunders.
The demolition will happen in stages, the first being the removal of asbestos by a certified company.
“The original shakes on the front of the building had asbestos on them so we had to get a company to do the asbestos and I believe there was also some in the plaster inside the house.”
Saunders says he and his partners would consider “building to suit” if they found the right tenant but that at this point, “the partners would probably like to sell.”
As for the fire, he said the youth at the time were on an arsonist’s rampage.
“I think the kids lit something like 35 fires,” said Saunders.
“The policeman just happened to see out the corner of his eye so he went back to check and it was these kids lighting a fire and I guess they had something from the Yellow House that tied them to the Yellow House. It’s a shame, it was a cool place.”
Aside from encouraging the owner to demolish the unsightly and potentially dangerous abandoned building, the city won’t be partaking in the actual tearing down, according to city official Alisa Thompson last week.