Demolition has begun on a group of historical buildings in downtown Wilmington to make way for new apartments on Market and King streets.

The Buccini/Pollin Group plans to build an apartment and parking building at 210 N. Market St., between the 218 Grille restaurant and the building that houses Al's Sporting Goods.

The apartments are slated to open in early 2020, said Mike Hare of the Buccini/Pollin Group.

The housing will be built at the site of the old Cooper Furniture building and a neighboring house on Market Street and the former YWCA building on King Street. The former Bill's Meat Market building on King Street also will be torn down.

The Buccini/Pollin Group bought the properties from June 2017 to June 2018, Hare said.

As part of the city's demolition permit for the historical buildings, the Cooper Furniture building facade will be preserved and incorporated into the new building.

The design of the new building will also be submitted to the Design Review Preservation Commission for approval to maintain the historical character of Market Street, commission coordinator Pat Maley said.

The developer has not yet decided what kind of apartments it will build or how many units are planned, Hare said. The building may also include commercial or office space.

Contact Jeanne Kuang at jkuang@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2476. Follow her on Twitter at @JeanneKuang.

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