MARQUETTE HOTEL UNLIKELY TO LURE INVESTORS AND NEEDS TO BE TAKEN DOWN

The days of the Marquette Hotel could be numbered.

Last week, the city began the condemnation process for the 62-year-old downtown landmark. The action is long overdue.

Over the years, various proposals to restore the hotel, which has been vacant since 1981, have come and gone. The building's owner still hopes to find a prospective buyer willing to resurrect the structure.

That would be the best option. No one wants to see the Marquette, with its interesting architectural style, demolished. However, after years of false hopes being raised about the building's future, if a buyer with a realistic plan to restore the Marquette within a reasonable time frame can't be found soon, the city shouldn't hesitate to raze the structure.

The sad truth is the Marquette, after decades of neglect, may be too far gone to save. The once proud hotel is now just an embarrassing eyesore. The future of the Marquette should be resolved once and for all -- before the crumbling building damages nearby structures or injures innocent passers-by.