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Former Regina mayor Pat Fiacco remembers the day he swung a golden sledgehammer at the Plains Hotel — a moment that was supposed to be the start of something “magnificent.”

An impressive 27-storey hotel and condo tower was on track to replace the former hotel and bar, and the new building would be a showpiece gateway to Regina’s downtown.

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Almost 10 years later, that vision is six feet under as the first few loads of dirt began to fill the now infamous Capital Pointe hole on Tuesday.

“It wasn’t only my vision. It was city council’s vision,” said Fiacco in a phone interview from Switzerland. “We’re all disappointed.”

Photo by Don Healy / Regina Leader-Post

Photo by Don Healy / Regina Leader-Post

When Capital Pointe was first proposed in 2009 under the name Westgate Properties, Fiacco said it fit in nicely with the revitalization happening in the downtown area.

“We saw a lot of … old properties converted into condominiums; we saw the plaza being built,” he recalled.

“Magnificent drawings” detailed what the corner of Albert Street and Victoria Avenue was going to look like.