Demolition Begins At Fire-Razed Bloomfield Building

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Almost a year to the day after a catastrophic fire ripped through a busy commercial building on Washington Street, a sign of progress – albeit a bittersweet one – was spotted in Bloomfield on Tuesday.

The fire, which took place in January 2020, left several local businesses without a home.

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The Bloomfield Center Alliance (BCA) shared news about the demolition of the fire-razed building on social media:

“Happening right now … the venerable building from which the Roxy Florist shop served the Bloomfield community for over 60 years is coming down … almost a year to the day after a catastrophic fire resulted in its abandonment. We are still devastated from the loss of both the structure and the many businesses that were located there, but are excited to see this step forward for the downtown. We also extend our well wishes (and birthday greetings!) to property/business owner Nick Zois, who remains a great friend of Bloomfield Center.”

According to the BCA, the site will be cleared and the parcel put up for sale by the owner, with the hope that a new development contributing to the downtown's economic growth will eventually be erected there.

“We hope this development is another sign of exciting things yet to come to the area,” the Bloomfield Center Alliance stated, adding that the site is expected to be cleared by the end of the week.

Coincidentally, a nearby section of Glenwood Avenue will also be the place where a series of streetscape improvements will be completed, including new sidewalks, curbs/pavers, streetlights and roadway. The project, announced by the township in November, will be finished this spring, the BCA stated.

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