Houston is a home that is full of history and events. One of Houston’s historical sites, the Savoy Hotel, was demolished this month. The hotel was built 103 years ago.

                The hotel was located in downtown Houston, around the 1600 block of Travis Street. One might think that a hotel is not a big deal, but to some Houstonians, this building was a traditional monument.

               The Savoy Apartments was the first luxury apartment building constructed in Houston.

               Police said the decaying building became dangerous for residents to live in. Some officials say that the building was going out of business and had some deterioration over the past years.

               “The owners stepped up to the plate to take responsibility,” said Mark Curran, assistant chief for the Houston Police Department’s neighborhood protection unit.

               “The city was always prepared to step in and we were there once it became a dangerous building and began to crumble,” he said.

               In 1906, The Savoy housed dozens of luxurious rooms and was the tallest building in the city.

               The building stood alone on an empty lot. Some had reported that bricks had fallen off the building and damaged their cars.

               Many past customers who enjoyed the luxurious hotel said they already miss the hotels’ presence.

                A regular customer, Marina Villalobos, was disappointed to hear that the building had been demolished.

               “Although I am not a Houston native, I really enjoyed my past experiences there,” Villalobos said. “I used to enjoy waking up and sipping my cup of tea.”

               During the demolition, The Metropolitan Transit Authority rail line was shut down more than a week. Nonetheless, officials were pleased the owners took responsibility and had the building demolished, Curran said.

               “Even though neighborhood protection has responsibility, it was through the support and coordination of the legal department, public works, engineering and general services department that this process was able to proceed with a successful conclusion,” he said.