ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Loose materials on the exteriors of the old Richford Hotel and the Cadillac Hotel that posed a safety hazard should be fixed by this weekend.

“The condition of 45 Chestnut in particular, we had some failing of the soffits around the building,” City Corporation Counsel Patrick Beath said Wednesday of the old Richford Hotel.

Beath said the city closed Elm Street near Chestnut Street on Tuesday due to loose soffits found on the building exteriors. A soffit is material covering the underside of a roof overhang.

“The owners has been directed to remove those soffits and is working to secure a right-of-way permit to do that work right now. We expect that work to be done tomorrow,” Beath said Wednesday.

Both buildings have been a part of the downtown skyline for nearly a quarter of a century but have been abandoned for years.

The city has been working with the property owners on development plans.

“We are hopeful that both of these buildings can be redeveloped and put back into productive use and be an important part of downtown,” Beath said.

There is a demolition order in place for the former Richford Hotel, but Beath said he hopes that the owners will abide by specific criteria to keep that from happening.

“Typically our code enforcement people need a schedule of repairs in order to hold off from moving forward with the demo — my understanding is that they have a preliminary schedule that has work getting underway in the summer,” Beath said.

Still, Beath says the primary concern will always be the safety of the public and that the city is committed to making sure the area is safe before the street reopens.

“So we are looking to work with developers but at the same time ensure that they are keeping the building safe,” Beath said.

The city says it hopes the developers move faster to get the redevelopment projects underway and will continue to enforce code and monitor projects.