Demolition work started Friday to bring down the last remaining structure at the shuttered Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles.

A wrecking ball is being used to demolish a 16-story tower that once contained hotel rooms for the popular resort. Other structures that were part of the resort had to be demolished after teens set fire to some of the buildings.

The resort was a popular destination for business and leisure travelers that opened in 1963. It expanded through the 1970s and 1980s but ultimately closed in March 2020.

A DuPage County judge in November signed off on demolition work, estimated to cost $2.43 million. The owner of the property is paying for the demolition.

A 90-foot crane had sat on the west side of the tower for months before Friday.

City officials had tried to work with property owners for nearly a year to fix building code violations and secure the property before taking legal action to seek demolition.

After its closure, the resort property attracted urban explorers and vandals. In a September court filing, city officials said police responded 349 times to the property for trespassing, vandalism and other offenses, including two sexual assaults.