PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The demolition of Darcelle XV Plaza, previously known as O’Bryant Square, has been pushed to January 2024, city officials told KOIN 6 News.

The park was initially scheduled for demolition in the fall. However, T.J. McHugh, the spokesperson for Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan, told KOIN 6 News that the project was delayed after officials determined that more reinforcement was needed to stabilize the streets located above the park’s underground parking structure. The park’s remodel is now scheduled for completion by summer 2024.

“Portland Bureau of Transportation demolition will be completed in January, leaving graded slopes and grass,” McHugh said. “Portland Parks & Recreation will begin construction in Spring, after finalizing permits and securing a contractor. [The city is] aiming to finish construction in the summer.”

The park and underlying parking garage were condemned in 2018 after a property assessment revealed extensive damage to the concrete structure’s joists, walls, columns and footings. The $4.5 million demolition will include the complete removal of the park’s pre-existing structures. The project will be completed by Northwest infrastructure, LLC.

The City of Portland considered salvaging the park’s distinct rose-shaped fountain, which was placed in the park in 1973. However, McHugh said that the fountain is too badly damaged by rust to save.

Once a bustling walkway populated by the Alder Street food carts, the area has seen a dramatic transformation in the past few years. The Ritz Carlton hotel, which pushed out the food carts in 2019, officially opened its doors on Halloween. The 35-story, 251-room hotel is one of two new buildings in the immediate area. Marriott has also built a 12-story hotel at the corner of 10th Avenue and Alder Street since the park’s closure.