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PHOTOS: YMCA demolition and Salem Peace Mosaic preservation

Staton demolition workers bring down the remaining pieces of the Salem YMCA on Dec. 11, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Field superintendent Jayson Valech paused as a piece of concrete crashed down, the force of the impact reverberating down Northeast Court Street.

“It never gets old,” he said.

Valech is with CD Redding, the construction company overseeing the demolition and rebuilding of Salem’s downtown YMCA.

This week included major demolition work on the main YMCA building and the neighboring apartments the YMCA rented out as affordable housing.

Workers also took steps to preserve the Salem Peace Mosaic, a large public art project that’s been on the side of the apartment building since its completion in 2011. On Tuesday, they cut the artwork into sections. It will be covered with plywood as the rest of the apartment building is demolished.

READ: Years of planning for new YMCA take shape as downtown building demolished

A demolition claw tears down the front wall of the Salem YMCA building on Dec. 10, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Video of a large piece of the YMCA building crashing down (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Artist Lynn Takata speaks about the preservation steps being taken for the Salem Peace Mosaic on Dec. 10, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Debris from the Salem YMCA litters the sidewalk during demolition on Dec. 10, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Benchmark Concrete Cutting workers prepare to cut the brick above the Salem Peace Mosaic on Dec. 10, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Cuts in the Salem Peace Mosaic will allow workers to lift the artwork in sections and move it to a new home. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

The Salem Peace Mosaic is cut into sections on Dec. 10, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

Benchmark Concrete Cutting workers slice into the Salem Peace Mosaic (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

YMCA demolition in progress, seen from Northeast Cottage Street on Dec. 10, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

The main YMCA structure was nearly all demolished by mid-morning on Dec. 11, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)

News tip? Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.