Well, maybe YOU can't tear it off. But a contractor most certainly could.

Like Branson said, should be no problem. If you are not experienced at moving an electrical outlet have a pro do it. Ditto with the soffit above if it's empty.

Of course you can tear that out - yourself. Be careful of the electric. That is probably just made of wood.

You might run into problems with the floor if it doesn't run under the bench or if it has aged so it looks different.

What did you want to put in the space in lieu of the bench? If that is the front door, you could modify it to have some storage below.

Helen is right. It looks like tile to me, but the floor beneath that might not be tiled

I would ask myself, "What am I going to do if the flooring doesn't continue under the banquet?" If you have an answer, you could carefully remove the banquet baseboard, check if the flooring comes to an end, and if so -- quelling your desire to remove the banque -- replace the baseboard.

Thank you everyone! I don't have a plan for what I want to do with the space yet. I'm just tired of my kids using it as a shelf when they are too lazy to put up their things.

It is being used in that manner because it is functional to have some form of storage at the front door. Many people deliberately put functional furniture there - especially extended storage.

The issue isn't the use of space - it is that the current furniture isn't providing hidden storage so there is clutter. Swap out the current simple bench for a unit that provides storage for whatever is being left there. It is the nature of human beings to leave things at the front door and appropriate storage solves the issue and prevents unsightly clutter.

Well then - maybe you can have it modified into useable storage w/o taking it completely apart.

No, it has roots growing down all the way to China and can never be removed.

Just kidding: anything CAN be removed from your house ... with a contractor who knows what he's doing ... and a big enough check book.

It probably can be removed but these sometimes hide plumbing or duct work. So might be good to cut out small section of sheetrock or remove electrical cover plate at check out what is behind it.