A crowd of DeKalb residents grew on the corner of Lincoln Highway and First Street May 22 to watch the demolition of the Otto’s building, which had been deemed uninhabitable after the discovery of excess water damage and will be replaced by a four-story apartment complex which will hopefully increase revenue in the area. Watching this building go is a sad loss of history for DeKalb but will serve as an open door for the future of the downtown area.

Otto’s was a two-story nightclub with vintage architecture that allowed for extremely intimate live-entertainment. After a pipe burst, the building was ruined, and black mold destroyed any chances of reopening, leaving the building to sit empty for three years, according to the city of DeKalb’s website.

The nightclub used to be one of the reasons college students hung out downtown. Now students will have a chance to live downtown, which will create a closer mix of the younger student generation with DeKalb residents. It’s possible this assimilation will show NIU isn’t hindering the life of the town and the students are a part of the community.

A four-story apartment complex is being established in the old building’s place by local developer John Pappas. It will feature 51 one-bedroom luxury apartments along with Barb City Bagels and a bar and grill. The plans for this building were finalized in January after three months of pre-application planning, according to the Feb. 22 city council agenda.

It’s sad that Otto’s will no longer be appreciated by the many people driving through downtown DeKalb, but it may benefit the city financially by encouraging more people to visit the downtown area.

It’s also upsetting that Mediterraneo has been destroyed, but luckily they’re now going to be operating from a food truck which will have its grand opening Tuesday, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page. Eventually, Barb City Bagels will be torn down too, but it will be relocated to the ground floor of the new apartment complex building.

The new apartment complex will not only bring more business and life to the downtown area; it will also help the businesses in the area more than I had imagined. The old building has been sitting there for more than three years after the pipe exploded and has been nothing but an eye sore.

Now, a building that will cost $7.5 million will be put up, and revenue will flow. The idea of making that space apartments is a little awkward to think about in contrast to the historic buildings – especially because the apartments are a more modern style – but it’s something to which everyone should be able to adjust.