PAWTUCKET — On the eve of a public hearing to determine whether the city should acquire the Pawtucket-Central-Falls station by condemnation, a developer began tearing down part of the historic building to make way for the CVS drugstore he plans to build on the Central Falls side of the site.

The Central Falls/Pawtucket line at the Pawtucket-Central Falls station.

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL / Sandor Bodo

The move, authorized by a demolition permit issued by Central Falls Building Official Todd J. Olbrych, angered preservationists, boosters of the Pawtucket’s nascent downtown revival and Mayor James E. Doyle, whose administration had made the restoration of the unused train station the lynchpin of its efforts to restore commuter-rail service.

Just a few hours after a wrecking crane for the Bilray demolition company began hammering away at the building, Pawtucket City Solicitor Margaret M. Lynch-Gadaleta was in Superior Court, Providence, asking Judge Stephen J. Fortunato Jr. to issue a temporary restraining order barring Central Falls from allowing the demolition to proceed.

Doyle said he had given Lynch-Gadaleta the heads-up, spotting the demolition activity when he swung by the train station after stopping at the Riverside Diner for lunch.

Before knocking off work yesterday, the Bilray demolition crew had managed to remove the cornice and part of the roof of the 5,445-square-foot section of the building earmarked for demolition.

“I believe the people behind this have done this in a very very shabby fashion, behind the scenes, refusing to come to the forefront,” Doyle said in an interview.

He criticized out-of-state developer Oscar W. Seelbinder and his backers, accusing them of proceeding with demolition to preempt tonight’s public hearing on whether to authorize the Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency to acquire the train station by condemnation. He exempted Central Falls Mayor Charles D. Moreau from the criticism, noting that Moreau supports the CVS project because it will yield much-needed tax revenue and help clean up the long dilapidated site.

“I certainly can’t blame him, because he’s doing what‘s best for his city,” Doyle said.

Seelbinder’s lawyer, Thomas V. Moses, didn’t return a phone call seeking a response to Doyle’s comments. The public hearing is scheduled to begin before the Pawtucket City Council at 7 p.m.

The cornice and part of the roof of the Pawtucket-Central Falls train station lay on the ground, after a developer yesterday began demolishing the ancient relic that preservationists and city officials in Pawtucket are trying to save. Below, Pawtucket Building Official John W. Hanley checks his phone as he monitors the beginning of the demolition. He is making sure that the demolition does not cross over the Central Fall/Pawtucket Line. A permit for demolition of the portion of the building in Pawtucket has not been issued.

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL / Sandor Bodo

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

If the city’s lawyers hadn’t persuaded Judge Fortunato to issue the temporary restraining order, “there’d be a lot less of the building standing today,” Doyle said.

Actually, it was unclear what, if any, effect the restraining order will have on the fate of the 90-year-old train station.

Olbrych, who was served with the order late in the afternoon, called Central Falls City Solicitor Raymond Cooney and asked whether to contact Bilray and tell the company he was revoking the demolition permit.

“He said no, Wait until I review it.” Olbrych said.

Olbrych denied that by issuing the demolition permit, he had undermined the structural integrity of the building, jeopardizing the health and safety of Pawtucket residents, as Pawtucket’s lawyers claimed.

One-third of the section of the building earmarked for demolition is in Pawtucket. Two-thirds are in Central Falls.

Olbrych said that M. David Odeh, a structural engineer employed by Spellbinder’s company, said in a Nov. 20 letter that “there will be no negative impact on the structural integrity of the remaining portion of the building” if the two-thirds of the building in Central Falls is taken down.

Olbrych said he had insisted that Seelbinder employ a structural engineer to provide reassurance on the structural integrity issue. He said the demolition permit was issued yesterday after Bilray submitted documentation showing, among other things, that the company had obtained a performance bond for the project, had the utilities turned off and the asbestos in the building removed.

No one representing Seelbinder or the City of Central Falls was present for yesterday afternoon’s court hearing. Lynch-Gadaleta, the Pawtucket city solicitor, assured Judge Fortunato that Central Falls city officials had been informed.

The temporary restraining order will remain in effect until Wednesday, when Fortunato will conduct a hearing to determine whether to issue a preliminary injunction halting demolition of the train station. All parties are expected to be present at that point.