The Pourhouse Tavern, one of Aberdeen’s oldest buildings, along with the two-story brick building right beside it on Wishkah Street at the eastern edge of downtown, will soon be demolished as part of a long-term plan to build what’s being called the Gateway Center, which would likely house some offices, community space and tourism information.

At Wednesday’s Aberdeen City Council Meeting, the council recommended that Rognlin’s Inc. be awarded the demolition contract to bring down both the Pourhouse and the building that once housed a portion of the Selmer’s Furniture business.

Mayor Erik Larson said demolition could happen sometime in the next week.

The Pourhouse had been a popular bar and live music venue, and was one of the last downtown building that survived the city’s major fire in 1903. Some have objected to the city’s decision to tear the buildings down, mostly on the basis of preserving the town’s old buildings. An anonymously-made petition on Change.org got well over 500 signatures asking that the city preserve the Pourhouse.

The demolition crew will work to preserve some of the original timbers of the Pourhouse building, “to the extent (that’s) possible,” Larson said.

The demolition will also attempt to recover 50 percent of the old brick used to build the old Selmer’s building.