Castle faade in downtown Kitchener being torn down to reveal heritage building

The castle in downtown Kitchener, Ont.,is slowly coming down.

Work is underway to remove the castle-like faade of the building at 17 Benton St. that had beenthe head office of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest since 1969.

A work crewhas been slowly removing the building's walls to reveal astructure from the city's past with some heritage architectural design features.

The developer,Woodhouse Group, said in a news release that it is scheduled to have the project finished and ready for people to move in by early 2022.

The building was purchased last May by Hans Haus Inc. which is a joint venture between the Woodhouse Group and the mortgage firm Brightpath Capital Corporation. The price was $3 million.

The mortgage firm plans to move to the top floors of the building, while the main floor and basement may include a restaurant or retail.

The Woodhouse Group is no stranger to downtown Kitchener. It has been involved in redeveloping other buildings in the downtown core, including the formerSchreiter's furniture building on Gaukel Streetand the former Schlichter's automotive shop on Queen Street.

K-W Oktoberfest announced earlier this year itplans to move into the former BMO building at the corner of King and Queen streets in Kitchener.

The 2021 K-W Oktoberfest festival, which combines live and virtualevents, is scheduled to begin on Sept.24.