Residents of Lower Greenville want a landmark building that was destroyed by a fire to be rebuilt for safety reasons.
A massive fire gutted four businesses -- Terilli's Restaurant & Bar, Mick's Pub, Hurricane Grill and Greenville Bar and Grill -- in the 2800 block of Greenville Avenue in March.
But nearly three months after the blaze, the remains of the building are still a charred mess. None of the debris inside has been removed. Even liquor bottles above Terrilli's bar are still in place.
Neighbors said the site is a health and safety hazard.
"It's an eyesore in the condition that it is in," said Mark Rieves, of the Vickery Place Neighborhood Association. "I hope we can expedite it to get it moving."
In the days after the March 2 blaze, the landlord vowed to rebuild, and city leaders promised to expedite construction permits.
Greenville residents said they think a lawsuit against the landlord is holding up the construction process.
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"You would think you could start cleaning it out a little bit, legal action or not," Rieves said.
Attempts to reach the landlord for comment on Monday were unsuccessful.
Local business owners said they would also like to see the site cleaned up. They said the loss of the four restaurants and bars is hurting their business.
"It's money out of our pockets, the city's pockets, everyone's pockets," said the manager of the Dubliner, a bar across the street.
Fire investigators said an electrical short in the fixed wiring in the space between the first and second floors near the rear atrium of Terilli's caused the fire.
The historic building was built in the 1930s. All four businesses that were housed in it said after the fire that they wanted to rebuild.
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