A staple of the city of Waterloo is ending 2022 as rubble.

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A building that had been standing for more than 70 years has been demolished. It's been a troubling and heartwarming few months for one Waterloo business.

We reported in late October that the eatery D+K Hickory House went up in flames. The building located on 315 Park Rd in Waterloo was set on fire and officials are still trying to make sense of what happened.

Luckily no one was injured from the blaze. Officials' initial thoughts about what might have caused the incident included gas and an explosion. This building was deemed a "total loss" following the fire.

This tragedy came right after the owners of Hickory House (the Chilcotes) celebrated the restaurant's 70th anniversary. Locals quickly came together to show their support for the family run restaurant with well-wishes and requests to make donations. Unfortunately, that was not enough to keep the restaurant open.

On Thursday, November 10th, the Chilcote family and the staff at D+K Hickory House announced they would be closing the eatery for an "undetermined amount of time."

"We are closed for an undetermined amount of time. Our restaurant was a total loss after the accident on the morning of October 30. The love and support we have received from all of you is unbelievable."

The team behind the restaurant set up an account at Community Bank and Trust titled "Hickory House Friends" for people who are interested in helping out with costs that will not be covered by their insurance.

The owners made plans for the building to be demolished. In a social media post made by the owners, they shared that the demolition was supposed to happen much sooner.

"Restaurant is still standing. Honestly, I thought it would be down by Thanksgiving, now looking more towards mid December. Lots of things to do before demolition can be done."

It wasn't until Thursday, December 15th that the structure was destroyed. You can see images of the site down below! The owners posted photos capturing the moment with the caption, "And she's gone..."

There are plans to reopen and rebuild, but it will take some time. In the family's social media statement, they did confirm that they do have plans to open again in fall of 2023.

We will continue to keep you updated on the status of the restaurant.

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