Demolition work is now underway on the old Pines long-term care facility in Bracebridge.

Crews began tearing down the former nursing home, located on Pine Street, early Tuesday morning. The work will likely take several weeks to complete.

According to nursing home staff, the Pines first opened its doors in the fall of 1961. The home had 101 residents and offered three levels of care: normal, special and bed care. The activity room and popular therapy pool were added onto the building in the early 1980s.

The clock, however, has been ticking on the building since 2004, when the nursing home officially closed down and was replaced by the new Pines long-term care facility, located next door.

While the District of Muskoka, which operates the home, initially hoped to renovate and maintain the old building with the help of a private sector partner, the structural deficiencies, including its failing heating system, resulted in no offers of interest.

The district eventually decided the site would be more attractive to investors as a vacant building lot. Still, demolition work on the old Pines was stalled for approximately two years in order to maintain public access to the therapy pool.

District council finally agreed to remove the building last year, following the opening of the new therapy pool at Bracebridge Sportsplex.

Parts of the former nursing home, including its old fireplace, reportedly will be salvaged and used in the new building next door.

Rick Williams, Muskoka’s commissioner of community services, said the district hopes to create some form of affordable housing on the property. Discussions on how to do this will likely take place over the next year, with public input, he said.