Demolition begins on former Springfield restaurant

Demolition began Monday on the former Shrimp House restaurant on South Limestone Street, although city officials said it’s not clear what’s next for the property.

Information from the city of Springfield shows a commercial demolition permit was issued earlier this month for the site at 1895 S. Limestone St.

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The listed property owner, Westerville Square Inc. based in Columbus, didn’t return a call seeking comment Monday.

The strip mall building where the business was located was part of a "smash and grab" robbery scheme last year in which a van crashed into the building and sparked a fire. That fire destroyed two Springfield businesses in the building last year, although no one was injured.

The South Limestone Street building, the Southgate Center, used to have a barber shop and a phone store in it before the fire.

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Westerville Square Inc. planned to invest up to $200,000 to rebuild the damaged area of the building on South Limestone Street, according to city building permits. The report says the city received the permit application in September, and an inspection was complete in January.

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