The pile of rubble that was the Jolly Miner Pub is bound for the landfill after an excavator went to work on the structure this week.
By Tuesday, Nov. 19, an excavator had brought down the building and was transferring the debris from the structure into the back of a disposal truck.
The Jolly Miner, built in 1889 on the corner of Haliburton and Needham streets, was one of the last of the old hotels and pubs on Haliburton Street. In its latter years, the hotel fell on tough times, ceasing operations in the 2010s after pipes burst, flooding the building. The decline continued, with emergency services responding to multiple medical aids and structure fires until the City of Nanaimo designated it as a nuisance property in 2013.
Attempts to repair and renovate the building caused structural instability and in October the city ordered the current owner to submit a structural assessment of the building or apply for a demolition permit and have the building torn down.
