Construction efforts are underway on a notoriously derelict site in Heyden.
The former Pruce’s Motor Inn, a once popular motel and restaurant north of Sault Ste. Marie, had been riddled with vandalism, graffiti, and fires ever since the business ceased operations years ago.
Deemed an “eyesore” to many, residents have been anticipating a complete demolition of the old Highway 17 building ever since Daniel Gagne purchased the property site for $125,000 on Apr. 21, 2023, according to land registry records.
But in recent weeks, crews appear to be installing fresh boarding along the sides and rooftop of the main two-storey structure.
Similarly, a new strip of boarding has appeared along the top of the former motel itself, and a giant pile of rubble that had once been sitting in the collapsed portion of the motel has been cleaned up.
Photos from SooToday's last visit to the site in May 2023 highlight those differences.
A significant amount of graffiti on the exterior of the motel rooms and the main structure has also been removed, mainly because the white-coloured siding that was once on both buildings is no longer there.
Two months before he purchased Pruce’s, Gagne also bought the former Mountain Ash Inn just up the highway for the same price. He had the building demolished soon after.
The brand-new residential and garage space on the former Mountain Ash Inn site, which was listed by Green Apple Realty Brokerage last December for $699,900, has sold for an unknown amount.
The realtor who sold that property did not reply for comment.
While it is currently undetermined what the future holds for the former Pruce’s Motor Inn, construction efforts are likely to be a welcome sight for many residents who have expressed their concerns with the structure in previous years.
SooToday attempted to get hold of Gagne to discuss his plans for the Pruce’s site, but he was unavailable for comment.