One of Rutland’s biggest eyesores is gone.

Residents in the area of Rutland Road North and McCurdy woke to the sound of demolition Tuesday as City crews tore down a crackshack.

Neighbours say the duplex has been attracting an unsavory element to their area for years.

Resident Deborah Weisbeck, says she’s seen lots of activity around the duplex in the few years she’s lived nearby.

“It seems like every weekend or sometimes during the week, there’d be break-ins. People actually started a few small fires inside which had to be extinguished. I’ve seen some kids, maybe 14-years-old, in the back there having parties in the middle of the night with lots of yelling and stuff. When we’d come out, our fence would be all graffitied. We’ve had to re-paint our fence like six times. So it’s not been a very good scene here the last few years,” says Weisbeck.

She says they are glad to see the building go.

Neighbour Mariam Susak, has lived in the area since 1991 and says the building was condemned a few years ago and that‘s when the drug users started showing up.

“I’d see people going by with shopping carts filled with their belongings and then I’d see them come back empty handed. There was a lot of garbage left behind, a lot of people trading their goods for other goods,” says Susak.

She says there used to be a second crackshack located just across the street.

“They’d go to one and then they’d go to the other. Everyday you’d see the same people going back and forth. I hope it’s a happy ending getting rid of that house.”

It’s believed the City tore down the building because the owner was taking too long to do so. It’s believed the bill for Tuesday’s demolition will be sent to the owner.