JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The property owners of a century-old building on North Main Street said high winds may have played a role in its partial collapse on Monday evening.
On Tuesday morning, crews began working on the demolition of the 100-year-old Solomons Auction House.
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The building, owned by Future of Cities, was already slated for demolition, but the property owners attributed the accelerated collapse to high winds.
“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.”
Wingard Marketing Communications said on behalf of the property owners
After looking at drone footage, Jacksonville Fire Chief Keith Powers said it looked like 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 said.
The last fire safety inspection of the building, which was listed as vacant, was conducted in 2023, and it passed.
JFRD clarified that the fire safety inspection does not include the roof.
JAXEPICS, the agency responsible for monitoring property records, reported that the last roof work was done in 2004, but no inspection was required since the building was not three stories high. Additionally, JEA confirmed that the building did not have electricity.
The last time the building had power was May 5, 2014.
The property is part of a larger investment aimed at revitalizing the Springfield neighborhood, with potential contributions exceeding $400 million to the Phoenix Arts District, according to the JAX Daily Record.
The demolition is scheduled to proceed on Tuesday morning.