An historic building which has been part of the Swansea landscape for almost 200 years is being torn down.
The building, at 74 - 77 The Strand, was most recently the former base of furniture removal and storage company George Brothers.
But safety and structural concerns over the state of the four-storey building mean the property is being demolished.
A report by Swansea Council officers into the proposed work before it began concluded: “It is indicated that the existing building on site is proposed to be demolished for health and safety structural concerns, having regard to its proximity to highway and pedestrian users along The Strand”.
It concluded: “Whilst the existing building is a feature of the local area, it is generally of low quality and does not make a positive contribution to the area”.
The building was once believed to be part of a pub in the 1850s, and has also been a lodging house, and offices for shipping merchants.
Workers moved onto the site last month, and the building’s removal is now virtually complete.
One person wrote on social media: "Sad to see old buildings go but if it's unsafe then it has to go".
The state of another well known Swansea building:
The building could be seen by motorists passing by on their way to Parc Tawe retail park.
Coastal Housing is responsible for pulling the building down.
Gareth Davies, executive director of grown and new business for the company said there were no plans to replace it in the near future, and it was considering potential short and medium term uses for the space created by the demolition - although no decisions had yet been made.
