By MARIA D. JAMES — The former Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) building on Hamilton Street is coming down for good. The construction team was on-site on July 12 to tear down the building, which has been the source for much debate and discussion in the community for several years.

The WSSC building was initally scheduled for demolition on July 1.  However, on June 30 Karl Granzow, construction/property manager for Werrlein Properties, notified the Hyattsville Life & Times of a delay because of changes being made to July Fourth programming in downtown D.C..

According to Granzow, everything in the building will be recycled and there is no hazardous material.  According to Norman Rivera, attorney for Werrlein, some of the WSSC building’s art deco-style ornamentation, including that of the central entrance bay, would be preserved and repurposed in the new Magruder Pointe development.

The demolition and removal phase will take approximately two to three months to complete.