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Demolition has begun on the historic Thelma A. Boltin Center in Gainesville, Florida.

The city commission voted to demolish the facility after renovation costs were estimated to be over $7 million.

Alachua County officials expressed disappointment, stating they were not consulted before the city's decision.

Demolition of the historic Thelma A. Boltin Center in the city of Gainesville's Duckpond Neighborhood has begun.

A crew with Florida Concrete Recycling by late afternoon Sept. 16 had already reduced much of the building at 516 NE Second Ave. to rubble.

Closed to the public since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the city commission voted 6-1 on Sept. 4 to demolish the facility built in 1942 after Wild Spaces & Public Places announced a total of

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