The demolition of the building at 95 King Street West will begin on Thursday after it was deemed unsafe and found to be in immediate danger of collapsing.

Concerns about the building's instability grew over the winter due to the heavy snow and strong winds. Demolition was set to begin Tuesday but was delayed by high winds.

While the building had been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, guidelines allow a heritage building to be demolished if it becomes very structurally unsound, which the City of London says is the case with this building.

A building permit was issued in 2010 to allow the addition of a third floor to the building, but during significant renovations that summer the building's footings were undermined and a portion of the second floor collapsed.

In November 2010, the city ordered repairs to address the collapse, but they were not completed.

Later, two sections of the roof collapsed and despite temporary shoring up, the building's condition further deteriorated. It was declared unsafe in April 2011 and all occupants were ordered out.

The city did consider preserving the building's facade, but the building's unstable condition made it unsafe for construction personnel to enter the building to install support bracing for the wall.

The city says the property will be graded to a level condition and any future development of the site will be subject to the City of London's Downtown Heritage Conservation District Guidelines.

The building was recently purchased by York Developments, which is paying for the demolition. The company says there are no immediate plans for the property but its proximity to Budweiser Gardens should help generate a lot of interest.