Former Ground Round demolished Monday, August 20, 2012

Former Ground Round demolished

Todd Weddle | St. Joseph News-Press

Crews make quick work of bringing down the former Ground Round restaurant building Monday morning in St. Joseph. 

Posted: Monday, August 20, 2012 12:35 pm | Updated: 7:28 pm, Mon Aug 20, 2012.

By Jennifer Hall St. Joseph News-Press |3 comments

It was a sad sight for many on the corner of Frederick Boulevard and Belt Highway. Crews began demolishing the former Ground Round building Monday morning.

“The building may be gone but the business is still alive and well,” said Christine Bollock, a patron. “When I saw they were tearing it down today I had to come and take one last picture.”

There won’t be another restaurant replacing the Ground Round. According to Clint Thompson, director of planning and community development with the city, there will be one building with three retail tenants.

Ground Round announced in May that it would be leaving its spot near the East Hills Shopping Center and reopening in St. Joseph’s Downtown.

Ground Round’s owner, Marcia Hayes, previously told the News-Press that she signed her termination agreement with mall officials on May 4 and then signed her new lease papers with MidCity Partnership, which owns the building at 123 S. Sixth St.

Ground Round’s lease with the mall was good until 2018, but MD Management, the mall’s management company, let the restaurant owner out of the agreement.

The mall has not released any details on future plans for the site.