Demolition is underway on a vacant medical building located at 1818 48th St. in Des Moines. The nearly 60,000-square-foot, one-story building, constructed around 1980, was a community hospital for several years before being acquired by Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines, which used the facility for adult and pediatric psychiatric care. The property changed hands several times before being acquired in July by Neighborhood Development Corp. The group paid $578,460 for the property, which about three years ago was declared a nuisance by the city of Des Moines. Abbey Gilroy, the group’s executive director, estimates the demolition will take about six weeks to complete. The group hopes to redevelop the 3.6-acre parcel into a mix of retail and residential uses. She said Neighborhood Development could also sell the property to a private developer. Photo by Kathy A. Bolten