CEDAR FALLS - The Olde Broom Factory is no more, crumbled by a pair of backhoes Saturday.

The historic building was constructed around 1862, with several additions built in later years. It served a number of roles across the decades, from a factory in its earlier times to a restaurant in the past 30 years.

Building owner Youri Dimitrov closed the restaurant in September after the roof leaked. He had a structural engineer examine the building. The engineer had told him the building could not reasonably be restored.

After that, Dimitrov decided to demolish the building and develop new.

Seeing the building come down reaffirmed the decision for Dimitrov. He said the cracks in the walls became more apparent as parts of the building were destroyed.

"The walls crumbled like sand when the backhoe hit it," Dimitrov said.

Dimitrov wants to put up two buildings on the site. They would primarily be used for condominium units. The north building would house a restaurant and bar.

Dimitrov's initial plan ran into obstacles in Community Main Street, the Cedar Falls Historical Society and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Perhaps the biggest concern was the intent to acquire city property west of the Broom Factory site, which would require relocating the Little Red Schoolhouse closer to the Behrens-Rapp station.

That part was opposed both by historical buffs, who didn't want the schoolhouse moved, and former councilman Stan Smith, who said the city had committed that space to public use when it was gifted from Chamberlain Manufacturing.

Dimitrov now has new plans that do not include the schoolhouse property.

Part of the proposed building, commercial space that could have housed the Chamber of Commerce, was removed from plans for the northern building. The building was also shifted nine feet closer to the river to allow space for a driveway to access the tuck-under garage at the rear of the building.

More changes to the plan have been made to accommodate requests from Community Main Street's design committee.

"They had some say about the design of that building," Dimitrov said. "They asked for more historical looking details in the building and to match the Main Street."

The new plans drawn up by architect Mike Stott include a great deal of brickwork to blend better with downtown buildings. A garage planned near the intersection of First and Main streets was moved to a less visible location.

Retail space was added to the south building. At 9,000 square feet of retail space, it still has a much greater amount of despite the 3,200-square-foot retail area removed from the other building under the new layout.

"I almost have the same footprint, but it works to help make Main Street happy," Dimitrov said.

He expects the new plans to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission in March.

Dimitrov said the project has garnered a great deal of interest. He asked that questions about the project be directed to him at broomfactory@yahoo.com.

Contact Jon Ericson at (319) 291-1461 or jonathan.ericson@wcfcourier.com.