UTICA – Demolition has begun on a landmark building in downtown Utica.

A portion of the former Wilcor building on Lafayette Street was demolished Monday morning, with the rest scheduled to come down throughout the coming days. The historic structure is being removed to make way for Mohawk Valley Health System’s downtown hospital project.

Wilcor International is a distributor of camping and outdoor products. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Frankfort.

Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri says the city is trying to blend the old with the new when it comes to the city's landscape - keeping history alive while making way for development.

“I think people are starting to see, and they're starting to believe, and people are getting excited about what's transpiring with the state of the art medical facility that will be in our downtown area. So it's been talked about, it's been debated about, and now we're moving forward and the demolition is moving forward," said Palmieri Monday morning.

The mayor thanked everyone who drives through downtown for their patience with road closures and detours as the demolition continues.

For example, Lafayette Street between Cornelia Street and Broadway is down to one lane because of the ongoing demolition in the hospital footprint. Work there runs through Friday.