Saskatoon's historic Farnam Block is coming down

The face of Broadway Avenue in Saskatoon is changing.

Demolition crews quickly tore down the old two-storey house that for years served as the home for the Turning the Tide bookstore.

Next up on the chopping block for crews is the big brick building out front. The Farnam Block is more than a century old and is unique in the city because of its walk-up style architecture.

People in the neigbourhood wandered by on Friday to take photos and reflect on the part it played in their lives. 

Roidon Gunn remembered when Lydia's, the much-loved bar and music venue, operated there.

"I've seen many great bands through here," he said. "I remember seeing Sam Roberts here for five bucks with some friends. You know, lots of great artists you know [came] through here."

A last minute bid by a group of local investors failed to save the building.

The current owners said they considered trying to save the unstable building. However, the cost was too high and so they opted to move forward with demolition.

The latest word from the demo crew is the building could come down tonight or sometime over the weekend.