Northern Colorado city to demolish iconic circular City Hall building
After decades of being an architectural staple in Northern Colorado, the City of Greeley has closed its longtime City Hall building and will soon demolish it. The circular white structure, located near the Weld County Courthouse in Downtown Greeley, was officially closed to the public on Friday, Feb. 27.
The decision to close the building comes as Greeley prepares for a new project, known as the "Downtown Civic Campus," which is set to begin construction.
Ahead of the demolition, residents from Northern Colorado were welcomed to take one final walk through the building.
"I feel like I am a part of history," said Antonio Rogers, a lifelong resident of Greeley who attended the final visit event. "My parents used to bank here in the 70s and 80s."
As noted by Rogers, the building was first built to be a bank for both residents and agricultural companies.
Resident Dave Newcomer moved to Greeley decades ago after receiving a job offer from the bank.
"You can still see the bones of where everything was, in terms of the lending departments. The tellers were sit-down tellers, which you really didn't hear of at the time," Newcomer said. "Upstairs, it had a travel agency and a leasing company."
However, as decades passed and the city obtained the building, time was not favorable to the structural integrity of the building. It also took up a significant amount of prime real estate.
"It is sad to see the building go," Newcomer said. "It is a landmark for the Greeley area."
Many residents who spoke with CBS News Colorado said they were disappointed in the city's decision to demolish the building, even if they simultaneously understood the logical reasoning.
The temporary city hall is now being housed at 1200 11th Ave. in Greeley.
"It is something that is part of our city and is part of our identity," Rogers said. "Everybody from out of town and in town knows this building and recognizes this building. It is part of our city's character."
However, with the decision made and the building already vacated, some said they just wanted to have one final moment to say goodbye to a piece of Northern Colorado architectural history.
"This building has a lot of history. It is iconic, and has a lot of memories for a lot of us native Greeley kids that grew up in the area," Rogers said. "I am going to miss it. I am going to miss it because it is iconic. It is Greeley."
