The keys are still in the ignition inside the dusty pilot house on the old City of Lights riverboat.

But cruising days are over for the 22,000-square-foot craft, temporarily docked along the Fox River north of downtown Aurora.

There's just one stop left for Hollywood Casino's former gaming boat: the scrap heap.

Work is under way to dismantle the craft, an operation that a Batavia-based demolition company has carefully plotted out.

"It's kind of a hybrid job. You don't have a lot of buildings like this," said Karsten Pawlik, operations vice president at Alpine Demolition Services.

"We're going to clean out all the debris and dismantle it just like we would a water tower or a bridge."

The City of Lights I served as one of two Hollywood Casino riverboats from 1993 to 2002 and made as many as 18 daily Fox River cruises when Illinois' casino gambling was limited to boats.

But when the Illinois General Assembly ultimately removed that restriction, Hollywood Casino switched to a land-based center on New York Street. The City of Lights II was dismantled in 2004, while the larger City of Lights I remained docked for eight years, awaiting a new owner and use.

A proposal to turn it into a floating banquet hall and restaurant to anchor a riverfront park fell through last year. In April, the Aurora City Council approved Hollywood's request to move the boat for its dismantling.

From a distance, the City of Lights looks much the same as it did during its 1990s heyday. A closer inspection reveals fading colors, peeling paint and clutter on the decks.

Inside, there's very little evidence that gambling once flourished.

Slot machines and gambling tables, chairs, carpets and decor are long gone. Walls and ceilings are being stripped, and electrical wiring hangs from above, along with some exposed heating and air conditioning ducts.

Workers operating skid steers removed drywall and insulation on one deck last week and pushed the debris into small piles for removal.

A few hints at the boat's former use remained. A sign for the Fairbanks Steakhouse beckoned patrons for Sunday brunch. The art deco frame around an entry to an elevator was visible along with gold elevator doors now dulled with dust.

Remnants of a 20-foot marquee, advertised a long-ago appearance by comedian Don Rickles.

Kelli Pawlik, Alpine Demolition's president, found a small gold gambling token while walking on the deck, the only loose chip or token found so far.

Demolition is expected to move swiftly through late summer until all that remains are the two barges the casino structure was built atop.

"We're going to take as much load off the barges as possible and then pull them out," said Karsten Pawlik, who expects work to continue for two more months.

"The only thing is we've got to contend with here is the river. The river comes up, down. You never know what the river's going to do."

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Story posted 2010.08.05 at 06:49 PM CDT