City Demolishes Octagon Building [Video]

The octagon building—also known as Parcel 10—between the Redondo Beach Pier and the Redondo Beach Marina and International Boardwalk is no more.

Crews began demolition work Thursday morning on the building, and by Friday morning, the building was a pile of rubble.

The building, which was built in 1979, has been vacant for at least the past 10 years, according to Pete Carmichael, the city's director of harbor, business and transit. It previously housed restaurants and was used as a filming location for The O.C.

The Redondo Beach City Council voted on Tuesday to approve the emergency demolition of the building—and its $67,827 estimated cost—after a recent windstorm blew off wood paneling that structurally surrounded the building. The missing panels exposed the interior of the building's second floor.

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"It exposed a condition that we think is potentially a danger to the health of residents and visitors," said Public Works Director Mike Witzansky. "It is potentially unstable enough to fall over at any given time."

The building was demolished due to the safety issues—not as part of the waterfront revitalization efforts, city officials said.

Though a few people protested the demolition of what they called a "landmark," Witzansky told Patch on Wednesday night that he hadn't heard any complaints.

"Everybody in the community who is aware of the demolition has generally been very supportive of us removing the building," he said. "The feedback has been quite positive, in fact."

The ramp that circles the building, connecting the Redondo Beach Pier to the International Boardwalk, will remain closed while crews clean up the rubble. City officials estimated that it would take up to 10 days from Wednesday for the entire project to be completed.

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