MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -  The old Sears building at the corner of Court Street and Fairview Avenue in Montgomery will be gone within 60 days, according to the City of Montgomery. A deal is now in place to demolish the building, and it won't cost the city any cash.

Steve Jones with the City says all proposals have been reviewed and demolition of the eyesore will be handled by National Salvage Company. Demolition should begin withing the next two weeks and is scheduled to take no more than 60 days to complete.

Jones says National Salvage Co. will take a landfill credit valued at $112,000 as payment for the job.

The city has lofty dreams of eventually transforming the lot into a residential area with a park and community garden. But says the building will have to come down first.

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - The Montgomery City Council made the deal official Tuesday evening. It approved the sale of the historic Kress building located at 39 Dexter Avenue just blocks from the Alabama Capitol.

Architect Mike Watson purchased the building for $225,000 - nearly half the appraised value of $400,000 - and says he has a vision for a performing arts hall, apartments and lofts within the building.

The ornately decorated building was constructed in 1929 but is considered structurally sound.

There are numerous Kress buildings around the United States, named for Samuel Henry Kress, a turn-of-the-century businessman who modeled S.H.