JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Along Beach Boulevard, a strip mall roof partially collapsed six years ago. Since then, it’s as if the building has been stuck in time, an empty and condemned void of the bustling businesses it once housed.
The strip mall was finally laid to rest and this summer it’s being demolished piece by piece.
The property is guarded by an electrical fence and signs that warn potential trespassers to stay away.
The strip mall on Beach Boulevard near I-295 was home to multiple businesses in 2018 until the partial collapse.
The roof of the building collapsed shortly after heavy downpours but the cause of the collapse has remained unclear. The businesses were evacuated and the units couldn’t reopen.
The building was condemned because the sprinkler system had one central unit for the entire building it was destroyed.
Now, News4JAX is getting some answers about the building from property manager Safa Mansouri with Pamela Equities.
Mansouri talked with News4JAX by phone and said insurance issues delayed the demolition.
“Dealing with the insurance companies to get a resolution to the matter, on the settlement and the cost and so on,” he said.
Within weeks of the 2018 partial collapse, some tenants had to move out quickly to save their businesses, like The Comedy Club.
Owners of Bankshot Billiards were also located in the strip mall, but six years later it’s not clear if they have a new location.
Mansouri said he also doesn’t know if any of the businesses were compensated for any money loss due to the partial collapse.
Now that things are moving forward, something new could be built in the area. Mansouri said there are talks about building an apartment complex in its place.
Now that the strip mall is gone perhaps it could become the new home for many.
No date has been set for a potential new development.