“Me and my wife, we'd come out here, especially around Christmas time, and go up into the restaurant and have dinner,” said Mike Luchini. “When they closed that, that was kind of sad, and now to see this come down, it's really sad.”

The project was made possible in part through Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation Program, which provides grants to support the removal of structures containing hazardous substances. The Macy’s building met the criteria for the program, and Allen County received $1.3 million in state funding for the demolition. The project is being led by the Allen County Land Bank.

This project is the 264th undertaken by the Allen County Land Bank and its largest to date. The state has provided millions of dollars in brownfield grants to aid redevelopment efforts across Ohio, including in Allen County.

According to the records of the Allen County Recorders Office, the purchase was made last week and the property was bought for $4.5 million.