Crews have begun work to tear down a landmark restaurant and bar in Northampton.

The Valley Stream Inn was closed for good after the Mill Creek stream filled the valley the building sits in with several feet of water during Hurricane Irene in September 2011.

Once the wood paneled building is demolished and cleanup of the site finished, the county will preserve the nearly 3 acre property as open space, Bucks County Parks and Recreation Department Executive Director Bill Mitchell said in a May 2012 interview. The lot runs along Bridgetown Pike and Mill Creek.

Bucks County commissioners approved the $230,000 federally funded purchase of the property early last year. The goal is to help protect the Mill Creek, which flows from New Britain Township to the larger Neshaminy Creek.

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