Determined to be unsafe as well as unsightly, the long-abandoned Portage Inn on N. Portage Avenue in Westfield was demolished Thursday through the collaborative efforts of the village of Westfield, the Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation, the NYS Department of Transportation, the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency and Empire Diagnostics. Debris will be removed next month. This is the first of a several mixed-use demolitions that the land bank will oversee and finance in the coming six to 12 months, mostly on main streets located in villages throughout the county.
The dangerously decrepit Portage Inn building in downtown Westfield will soon disappear from 18-28 N. Portage St. now that the village board unanimous...