Demolition crews are tearing down the Royale Inn at The Paseo and Independence Avenue.
The building has sat vacant and dilapidated for decades, a hub for all sorts of illegal activity.
Police found a woman's body dead in a stairwell in 2011.
City leaders and neighbors want to make way for wider streets and sidewalks, and plenty of green space in the motel's place.
The demolition is part of the $12 million Gateway Paseo Project to revamp the area.
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Sarah Plake can be reached at Sarah.Plake@KSHB.com