The Realty Building, which housed a Chase Bank branch and the Realty Tower apartments is now in the process of being demolished.

Demolition began Friday afternoon with crews using a wrecking ball to chip away at the building. Earlier in the day, our 21 News crews saw a fire escape from the building come crashing down into a parking lot. 

The owners of the Realty Building, YO 47 Properties LLC previously told 21 News they have set a target date of August 2 to get to the fourth floor. At that time, some buildings that had to shut down due to the explosion may be able to reopen.

The official timeline for the demolition will be determined by the owners and the contractor.

YO Properties has released a statement on the demolition of the Realty Building which can be read in full below:

"This is not what we imagined for Realty Tower. When you restore buildings as we do, it is with the intent to create life and restore vibrancy. It is why we exhausted every possibility of saving this building. This isn't what we want, and this isn't the easy solution but we must do it to provide a path forward."

"We didn't envision this building's story would come to such a premature and sudden end. We mourn the loss of Akil drake's life. We mourn the loss of the homes and lives that filled this beloved building. We will always mourn, but we will cherish Realty Tower's legacy by gathering the pieces of this rubble to create something new. The soul of Youngstown isn't being demolished today, it remains as does our commitment to it, the people of Youngstown."

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