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NILES — Demolition work began Thursday morning on the Niles Inn and Conference Center.

A crew was on site Friday morning to begin the abatement process of the space, which has been closed since September 2016 after falling into disrepair and has been the site of numerous break-ins and fires in recent years.

In 2020, the owner had reached a tentative agreement with the city for demolition of the site, which Huff hopes to have completed by spring.

During a December city council meeting, Niles city administrator Ric Huff announced that a development company was in the process of purchasing the property with the intention of building three new commercial buildings — one an urgent care center and the other two as additional retail spaces with drive-thru capability — on the property after its demolition is completed.