Iconic Weylu's Restaurant Building Demolished Wednesday

By LIZ TAURASI (Patch Staff)

Photos Courtesy Brian Cummings

Times certainly are changing. In April, the lengendary Hilltop Steak House was torn down. On Wednesday, another legend on Rte. 1 is no more as crews began demolishing the former Weylu’s Restaurant.

Last December, we were able to step back in time thanks to North Shore photographer Brian Cummings who photographed the abandoned Weylu’s Restaurant high up on a hill overlooking Route 1 in Saugus.

As of Wednesday morning, Weylu’s, while closed since 1999, is officially no more as demolition began to tear down the structure.

Cummings’ images showed what’s left of what was once one of the largest Chinese restaurants ever built and one that brought folks from across the state to indulge in an opulence inside the more than 50,000-square-foot dining establishment.

When it was built back in the 1980s, it took nearly three full years for construction to be complete and cost an estimated $13 million. It was over the top opulence, from the moment you pulled in with valet parking and employees at every turn, to great food and atmosphere among fish filled indoor fountains and gold accents at every turn. It was the place to be on a weekend night.

Since Weylu’s shuttered its doors in 1999 following foreclosure, the property has been sold, yet time stood still within its walls as the once lavishly decorated restaurant sits in ruins awaiting its fate.

View all the incredible images on Photographer Brian Cummings’ Facebook page >>

The current property owner pulled the permit for demolition on Monday, according to several sources.

In 2013, the restaurant was sold for $4 million, less than half the asking price of $10.7 million, to developers who planned to use it as part of a 45-acre commercial development, according to the Boston Business Journal. In August 2014, the BBJ reported the new owner was considering his options for the property.