KEARNEY — Demolition of the former Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce building is currently underway as the new owner clears the lot for future development.
The building has housed the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce and their offshoots, the Kearney Visitors Bureau and the Development Council for Buffalo County for the past 20 years.
By 2019, it was clear to the Chamber of Commerce board of directors that a new space was needed.
In 2023, ground was broken for the Kearney Welcome Center, which will house all three entities and is located closer to Interstate 80 at the southwest corner of Talmadge St. and 11 Ave. The new building opened in early 2025.
According to Buffalo County GIS, the property at 1007 2nd Ave. was purchased by Western Nebraska Bank of North Platte on Nov. 10, 2023, for $1.3 million.
Demolition of the location, first built in 1977, began on Monday, May 5 and was continuing Tuesday.
A message was left with Western Nebraska Bank regarding the future development on Tuesday, but was not returned by the publication of this article.
