UPDATE 1/18/19 @ 10:30 p.m.

Neighbors are thrilled to see a major nuisance property come down.

Demolition of the Flats on 4th was nearly completed Wednesday.

Marshall students gleefully took in the sights and sounds of the demolition of the building that had stood six decades.

The vacant former apartment building became known for attracting vagrants.

"It's good for the city of Huntington that it's coming down," Marshall senior Logan Fugate said.

The building opened in 1962 as the Uptowner Inn. In 2002 it was converted into apartments catering to Marshall students.

Three years ago a fire put it out of business, and squatters took over.

"I'd be walking to class, and the squatters would walk up to me and ask me for stuff," Fugate said. "I told them no every single time, but sometimes instead of one person, there would be three or four of them, a group of people, and it was nerve-racking.'

AB Contracting, which purchased the property, isn't commenting yet on what plans are for the site.

The company is based in Point Pleasant. They own several properties in West Virginia, including apartments and townhouses.

UPDATE 1/18/19 @ 5:40 p.m.

A problem property bringing down an entire area is finally about to come down.

Crews are working to clean out the Flats on 4th, including getting rid of all asbestos inside the building. That work is expected to last for weeks before demolition can begin.

But people who live and work nearby tell us it can't come soon enough.

There were plenty of bangs, thumps and noise Friday as crews broke out windows and tossed items from the fourth floor.

"It's music to my ears," said Ted Kluemper.

"Sounds magical," added Michelle Girard.

Everything must go before it all goes down.

What started as a hotel in the 70s turned into student apartments more recently.

Almost three years ago, a fire put it out of business. But eventually it stopped being vacant.

Our cameras in October caught a constant flow of activity, and now crews have a huge job in front of them.

They got started Thursday, all in view of Kluemper in his insurance office across the street.

"Very happy,” he said. “To watch them throw stuff out, it was very nice."

AB Contracting submitted the winning bid in late November. But it took until Tuesday for them to close. On Wednesday, the fence went up, all in view of Vince Hebert, who we talked to in October -- before the city boarded up the building.

He said his customers would often come in packs to his music store, not wanting to travel alone.

"We've got a great sports program with Marshall and this thing to be a block away, it's terrible,” Hebert said. “Anything will be an improvement."

Michelle Girard lived one block away. She said her apartment was constantly getting vandalized from the occupants there until she moved.

"I can breathe again. To walk around here because at night you couldn't even walk around here safely," she said. "It's just a sigh of relief to know that yet another building is going to be torn down, so we don't have to worry about all the drug infestation or walking your animal or your child and have to worry about a dirty needle or something bumming you for money."

So ignore the noise and broken glass. For once, this is planned and paid for. Things have to get worse before they can get better.

"It's absolutely worth it," Girardn said.

"I'm very happy to see it go down,” Kluemper added. “And I'd like to see something nice go back in there. It would be good for Marshall University and Huntington."

WSAZ left several messages with AB Contracting and its attorney Friday. None were returned.

The asbestos cleanup is expected to take a full month. Then the building will be ready for demolition in mid-February, but no permit has been issued by the city yet.

No one knows what type of development is going up in its place.

Huntington police officers have been called here 65 times in the last two years, leading to 19 criminal reports and 12 arrests. That works out to about one every other month for a property that's supposed to be vacant.

UPDATE 11/29/18 @ 11:40 p.m.

A troubled building in Huntington that's been attracting vagrants is one step closer toward a brighter future.

The Flats on 4th apartment building was auctioned off Thursday.

AB Contracting Inc. placed that highest bid for $351,000.

This is the same company that will be building the newly announced Wingate Hotel in Hurricane.

There is no word yet on what the new property owner's plans for the building are.

UPDATE 10/30/18 @ 6:35 p.m.

Crews have started to board up the Flats on 4th apartment building in Huntington.

WSAZ's Kathryn Robinson asked the city of Huntington Monday how they planned to keep people safe after witnessing several people entering and exiting the building with ease.

Huntington Police surrounded the building on Tuesday morning. Officers entered the building in teams with the intention of clearing out anyone who may be inside.

Officers found at least seven people inside the building.

"At this point we are issuing citations for trespassing and obviously identifying whoever is in there if we need to find them for anything later," Huntington Police Capt. Ray Cornwell said. "At this point right now, obviously you have a lot of homeless folks just trying to stay inside and stay warm and we're empathetic to that as much as we can be. We're just issuing citations for trespassing and having them move on."

Cornwell says the building is a public health hazard.

"It's littered with needles, garbage, human waste. There's probably a couple feet of water in the basement from the last fire we had to put out," Cornwell said. "I would not consider it fit for habitation, probably unsafe, a public health hazard."

City crews started boarding up the property Tuesday morning. Crews said it would be a two-day job.

"I think it's great. I think it's going to bring comfort to a lot of people who live near here and people who own businesses," business owner Vince Hebert said. "I think your report was phenomenal. I mean, obviously it's definitely made a difference."

UPDATE 10/29/18 @ 6:34 p.m.

The future of the Flats on 4th apartment building in Huntington is in question.

The property has been a problem spot for years. Business owners and city leaders say it's an eyesore and a spot for squatters.

WSAZ's Kathryn Robinson witnessed several people entering and exiting the building on Monday. Doors were unlocked and at least one was left wide open.

The building caught on fire on Saturday. It is being investigated as arson after firefighters found people inside.

Huntington Fire Chief Jan Rader has said the property is also dangerous. She advised firefighters not to go inside the building unless the fire was small and could be quickly contained. Firefighters were able to quickly contain it, but four firefighters were injured. One was seriously cut, requiring stitches. Also, the ceiling collapsed on three others, according to Rader, but all area expected to be OK.

The day before the building caught on fire, the trustee filed a motion in bankruptcy court requesting an order to sell the property.

C2C Realty, LLC owned the property before filing for bankruptcy earlier this year. The property has been in limbo ever since. Chase Bank has the first lien on the property and paid for a plastic fence to surround the building, but it was quickly torn down.

NR Deed, LLC, a company from Indiana plans to buy the property for $300,000. According to the Cabell County Assessor's Office, the property was appraised for $1.15 million earlier this year.

The Trustee accepted the offer from NR Deed, LLC, however upset bids are still permitted.

Attorney Joe Supple, representing the trustee, says the bids must be at least $50,000 higher and must be received by Nov. 23. He expects the property will go to auction. Supple says they already have at least six entities that have expressed interest in the property. That means the property will be in limbo for at least another month until an auction that would be held on Nov. 29 in bankruptcy court.

In the meantime, the people are still gaining access to the Flats with ease.

We reached out to the city with concerns from local businesses and neighbors.

City spokesman Bryan Chambers says they are not permitted to speak on camera about the building for legal reasons as it is in bankruptcy court, but he issues this statement to WSAZ:

"The property known as the Flats, located in the 1500 block of Fourth Avenue, continues to present problems to the City and pose a safety risk to citizens and first responders."

ORIGINAL STORY 9/21/18 @ 6:47 p.m.

An eyesore and problem spot in Huntington may be coming down, according to plans from a company looking to buy the vacant property.

The old Flats on 4th has been sitting empty for sometime, except for spotted squatters, looters, and others up to no good. It's getting to be concerning and even annoying for business owners in the area.

"We watch people go in and out of there all day long carrying stuff like appliances and stuff they've stolen," said Robert Smith. "I've had to call the cops several times.'

Smith owns an athletic shop right across the street from the building. He's reported issue after issue, and has run in to some pretty disturbing discoveries right outside his door.

"There's human feces all over the place, throw up, there's glass there's needles."

But it appears those issues may soon be a thing in the past. Currently, JP Morgan Chase owns the bank, but after pressure from the city of Huntington, the bank may be accepting an offer to sell the building.

A city spokesman tells WSAZ the bank has agreed to accept a minimum offer of $300,000 from NRDEED, LLC, an Indiana-based company, to purchase the Flats building and parking lot, with intentions to tear it down with prospects of future development.

Smith says if the right development comes in, it would be great for business and the city.

"I've had a range of emotions like I think most people have had in this city just having to watch what's happening in general," Smith said. "I think people are looking for an answer and I think hopefully this building get bought, and hopefully the right thing goes in and that's the answer for this area."

The city says an order to approve the sale of the property is expected to be entered within 30 days.