Astor Cinema to be torn down by weekend

The partly demolished structure which once housed the Astor Cinema is expected to be torn down by the end of this week. This is according to the new owner.

In an invited comment, businessman and proprietor of the property, Rizwan Khan, explained that efforts have been made to contract a heavy duty machine operator to have the remainder of building flattened by this weekend. The businessman, who also owns Discount Store, said that he will be working with the City Engineer’s Department of Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to ensure that the demolition exercise is successfully carried out.

“The City Engineer’s Department contacted me this (yesterday) morning about the issue, and we have already started to make arrangements for operators of a crane and an excavator to have the building pulled down,” Khan said.

City Hall officials had warned of the danger that the partly-demolished structure, located at Waterloo and Church Streets, poses to passersby. They had expressed that the shaky edifice, which once housed Guyana’s oldest cinema, was being unsafely ripped apart by individuals, who are seemingly unaware of the danger that looms. With the foundation of building destroyed, officials at City Hall had noted the skeletal remains of the old wooden structure could come crashing down at any given moment.

Astor Cinema had been in operation for more than seventy years. Its doors closed in 2013.

(KAIETEUR NEWS)