Photo above: Workmen with 4 Seasons Construction Co. raze the Sea Eagle Market, Huddle House and pictured here, the old Burton Fire Station on Wednesday afternoon along Boundary Street. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
Demolition started on June 20 of three buildings along a key stretch of Beaufort’s Boundary Street that soon will have a wide, sweeping view of the saltwater marsh.
The work will be followed up with a general cleanup and landscaping at a later date.
“This is an important piece of work to beautify the main entrance to historic Beaufort, to showcase our beautiful marsh vistas and create important open space along the busy roadway,” Beaufort City Manager Bill Prokop said.
The former Sea Eagle seafood market was the first to come crashing down, ollowed by the former Huddle House and then the old, unused fire station shed.
The demolitions are a joint effort of the city, Beaufort County and the Beaufort County Open Land Trust to open up the marsh views and create a passive park along this key entrance to historic Beaufort.
Efforts to open up the marsh vista are part of the overall $32 million joint Boundary Street Improvement Corridor started in early 2016. The program is on schedule for completion in early 2018 and is on budget, despite slowdowns from Hurricane Matthew and an earlier tropical storm.
After the city bought the Sea Eagle Market property in 2016, the owners relocated across Boundary Street and expanded to include a restaurant. Beaufort County bought the former Huddle House and the Beaufort County Open Land Trust bought the United Way building. Demolition of that structure has been delayed while the county uses it for office space.
For more information, visit www.boundarystreetupdate.com.
