Demolition in full swing at former Gusti site across from Scott’s Addition

The site’s main building began coming down last week. (Mike Platania photo)

A prominent Museum District eyesore is coming down. 

Demolition of the long-vacant, graffiti-covered warehouses at 2901-2923 W. Broad St. is now underway. 

The structures, previously home to Gusti Restaurant Equipment & Supply, date back nearly a century and began falling into disrepair in 2019 after the Gusti family relocated their business to the Westwood area of Henrico County.

Shortly after Gusti left, the Loupassi family sold the 2-acre plot to local developer Steve Leibovic for over $5 million. Leibovic has since been planning a redevelopment of the property. 

Heavy equipment arrived at the site earlier this month and the two-story brick warehouse began coming down late last week. 

Leibovic’s assemblage is the area highlighted in green. (BizSense file photo)

Leibovic, who began prepping the demolition last fall, said he intends to build a mixed-use project on the site, but that he’s still working on those plans.

“We’ve been slow-pedaling it because of interest rates number one, and number two, just the massive number of apartments that are coming up in Scott’s Addition,” Leibovic said. “We wanted to wait till some of that died down.”

He added that President Trump’s tariffs and their impact on steel and building material pricing are also giving him pause, describing them as potentially triggering new inflation for construction. 

The bulk of the land is zoned TOD-1, a designation that allows for up to 12 stories and a mix of uses.

Within eyeshot of Leibovic’s site is the recently completed Soda Flats, a seven-story apartment building from local developer Bank Street Advisors.

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