The longtime home of CTV News Kitchener is nothing more than a memory.

Demolition crews tore down the final sections of the structure, located at 864 King Street West, Thursday morning.

Even though the building has been reduced to ruins, it will continue to live on in the memories of employees.

“I started here in 1977,” said retired journalist David Imrie. “I have spent 38 glorious years working here.”

This includes the days when CKCO reporters wore those iconic red jackets.

Imrie also recalled the heyday in the 1980s, when about 350 people worked at 864 King Street West.

“It was very busy, it was a 24-hour information operation,” he said. “I worked long nights in this building and long days.”

David Imrie stands outside what remains of 864 King St. West in Kitchener. (Krista Simpson/CTV News)

The station’s presence extended well beyond the borders of Waterloo Region.

“I traveled around the (United States) and people would come up and say hello to me because they recognized me,” Imrie said.

It was also in the building on King Street West that he met his future wife.

“A young woman came into the building in 1978 for an interview with me,” he recalls. “Little did I know that about two years later I would be walking down the aisle with this young lady. We have now been married for almost 45 years.

The community also has fond memories of the building.

“Over the years, I have had many opportunities to visit the station and participate in shows like Provincewide and the news, as well as celebrate events like Toy Mountain,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

CTV, he added, has always played a vital role in the community.

“You think about everything that’s happened in Kitchener, across Canada and around the world over the last 70 years, and you’ve really always captured the reactions of Kitchener residents and told the story from the perspective of Kitchener, which has been so, so. important,” Vrbanovic said.

In November 2023, CTV Kitchener moved into its new home, where Lulu’s Roadhouse once stood.

Meanwhile, demolition at 864 King Street West only began in October.

“You know, it’s a little sad,” Imrie said. “We have had so many lasting friendships that were made in this building – friendships that began when I started here in 1977 and that I still maintain today. »

As for what’s next, an application has been filed to build a 45-story residential tower on the property. The municipal council will examine this proposal next Monday.

To watch the building demolish, watch the timelapse in the viewer at the top of this page.