Historic downtown Macy's building to be demolished this weekend

Houstonians stopped by to take their last looks and capture a few photos of the icon

HOUSTON – A downtown landmark will be demolished this weekend, and chances are downtown drivers will be held up in the process.

Macy's 10-story building will be reduced to rubble early Sunday morning. The Main Street store closed in March, 66 years after it opened as the Foley's department store.

On Friday, Houston residents stopped by to take their last looks and capture a few photos of the downtown icon.

"Take some memories because we aren't going to see it anymore," said John Butler, a Houston Resident.

"So we can have it and I can show my mom and my daughter what they did to the building before they tore it down," said Rochelle Johnson, also a Houston Resident.

For Rochelle Johnson, the retail fixture holds fond memories of her childhood.

"Going into Macy's, they have a whole lot of clothing sets, and I used to like going upstairs and look at the furniture and dishes," said Johnson.

Explosive charges will be used to demolish the 791,000 square foot building early Sunday morning. Owners of the building plan new retail development for the site.

"It won't be the same anymore, it will be an empty space now, it won't be the same," said Butler.

The implosion will cause several detours. For drivers, roads from Fannin to Milam will close at 6 a.m. between Polk and McKinney. The METRO Rail shutdowns and detours start Friday at 9 p.m. as crews begin preparing the implosion site, which is adjacent to the rail line and its Main Street Square Station.