BLUEFIELD, WV (WVNS)– Two eyesore buildings on Cumberland Road in the City of Bluefield were demolished early on Monday, January 23, 2023.

Code Official Alex Ellison said thanks to funding from the state, they’re able to tear down the Old Long John Silver’s restaurant and a dilapidated house, something they’ve tried to do since 2020.

“This is one of the first things people see when they come in and it’s not one of the first things we want people to see when they come in,” Ellison said.

Cecil Marson the City of Bluefield City Manager said they’ve reached the tip of the iceberg with his commitment to beatifying Bluefield.

“We’re up to about 60 homes right now and we’ll continue to clean up the city and take care of the residents but get rid of stuff like this is horrible and holds us back,” Marson said.

Marson added his office is striving to reach a goal of demolishing 100 dilapidated residential and commercial buildings.

Ellison said removing the dilapidated structures could potentially help residents in the area.

“I mean you live in a neighborhood and you’ve got three houses that are abandoned, the doors kicked in, the windows are broken. As soon as they’re down, that’s gonna raise your property value more people are going to want to come to that neighborhood, and hopefully, rebuild there one day. It all starts with getting these houses down,” Ellison said.

Marson said after the building falls to the ground, it will be leveled and turned into an empty lot in hopes of future business plans.