JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A century-old building on North Main Street was already slated for demolition before it partially collapsed on Monday, according to the property owners.
Clean-up and demolition continued Wednesday as crews worked to remove the rubble that is now all that remains of the former Solomon’s Auction House.
The property owners said high winds may have played a role in the building’s partial collapse on Monday evening, which sent debris tumbling onto Main Street and caused lanes to be shut down for about 24 hours.
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The building, owned by Future of Cities, 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 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.