JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Demolition began Tuesday morning on a partially collapsed building on North Main Street near East 14th Street in Jacksonville’s Urban Core.
The building was once Solomon’s Auction House, a warehouse and storage facility. It was built in 1925, according to city records.
Our news partners with the Jacksonville Daily Record report that the building is owned by redevelopment company Future of Cities.
It had been abandoned for years and local residents said they were not surprised it collapsed.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, which first got a call about the building collapse around 5 p.m. Monday, confirmed it was too unstable for firefighters to go inside.
City Spokesman Phil Perry told News4JAX that demolition on the building would begin Tuesday morning. It’s unclear how long it will take.
He also sent News4JAX a statement he says was sent by the property’s owners, which read:
The Phoenix Arts & Innovation District has been working closely with the City of Jacksonville to prepare for the demolition of the unoccupied and secured property located at 2301 N. Main Street. We believe the recent high winds caused the building’s accelerated collapse before the scheduled demolition could be completed. We are grateful that nobody was hurt and extend our appreciation to the City of Jacksonville’s Municipal Code Compliance Division, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and JEA for their quick response to secure the area before and after the partial wall collapse.
Statement from Phoenix Arts & Innovation District
Drivers were asked to expect detours in the area as northbound Main Street was closed until further notice, but around 4 p.m. on Tuesday the street was fully reopened.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office brought in its drone team to inspect the roof on Monday, finding it rotted. JFRD Chief Keith Powers said that likely contributed to the partial collapse.
“Looking at what the drone shows us from above, it looks like a lot of the roof structure had rotted and already collapsed. And when you get that, then you don’t have a lot of stability in the wall. So, it doesn’t take a lot of wind or anything else -- forces -- to push that down,” Powers explained.
Powers said JFRD brought in its urban search and rescue dogs to check the building but that no one was inside when it collapsed and no one had to be taken to the hospital.
“There’s no evidence that there’s anybody trapped inside the building. But as you can see from the way the building’s leaning, there’s some concern that the rest of the building may collapse into Main Street,” Power said.
JEA crews were at the scene Monday night to remove the partially collapsed building’s service lines for safety reasons. JEA said the building did not have any active service due to non-payment.
WATCH: Press play below to see Chief Powers' full update Monday night
Powers did not provide any information on how long the building had been abandoned or what function the building served before its collapse.
Powers also shared that JFRD notified the railroad to close the train tracks near the building.
