KEARNEY — The demolition of the Western Midtown Inn and the former Lodge Restaurant location began on Tuesday and is expected to be finished by the end of the week.
The 50-year-old structure along Second Ave. was purchased by the Buffalo County Commissioners last year for $1.27 million.
The property also included The Lodge, which opened in 1971 and is the community’s oldest continuously operating restaurant.
The Lodge has been owned and operated since 2014 by Cindy Houlden and brother Robert James. The space has been leased from Rod and Lonna Rasmussen, who own the Western Inn-Midtown property.
Chairman Ivan Klein said the commissioners are securing the property for future use by the county. He noted the Buffalo County courthouse is landlocked with no means for expansion.
Klein said that the courthouse if full and with potential new requirements coming down the pipe, they moved on the purchase agreement when the county was approached about acquiring the property.
He noted that if the county doesn’t move on securing property today, the price could increase substantially if they waited to purchase ground in the future.
After the demolition, the property will be held by the county for future development, Klein said.
The Lodge restaurant has found a new home in the former Skeeter Barns location on the south side of Kearney.
