Former Hayden cafe may be demolished as early as this winter
HURA board members Matt Roetter, Ronda Mitchell and Colin Meehan participate in a discussion about the former Owl Café during a meeting Monday at Hayden City Council chambers.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
Hayden Urban Renewal Agency Executive director Melissa Cleveland and Lindsay Spencer discuss the future of the former Owl Café building Monday afternoon at Hayden City Council chambers.
The Owl Café on Government Way in Hayden has been vacant since March 2021.
HAYDEN — The Owl Café building may be demolished as early as this winter.
As the Hayden Urban Renewal Agency discussed steps needed to safely remove the exterior sign, HURA Executive Director Melissa Cleveland said if a contractor can be secured as soon as the neon sign is down, the building could be demolished in the new few months.
The cafe's sign will be stored at the Museum of North Idaho. Members of HURA and Hayden Historic Preservation commissioners have expressed the wish to see the sign displayed at some point in the future.
Once the sign has been removed from the building and stored, HURA can proceed to get quotes from contractors and salvage businesses to demolish and then request a demolition permit from the city.
The building has sat unused since March 2021, and both the building and site are not up to code. The Owl Café's history stretches back to its start as a gas station in 1940, before it was converted to a restaurant in the 1950s.
Hayden Urban Renewal Agency Executive director Melissa Cleveland and Lindsay Spencer discuss the future of the former Owl Café building Monday afternoon at Hayden City Council chambers.
The Owl Café on Government Way in Hayden has been vacant since March 2021.