Depot Street building falls, damages nearby structure

Heavy equipment from First Response of Nashville tore into the building at 109 E. Depot St. Monday. The neighboring structure, which once contained the Grapevine, was damaged by a collapsing wall. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Bricks fell and dust flew Monday as crews got to work bringing down the building at 109 E. Depot St., which had been deemed dangerous by the city.

However, a collapsing wall that struck a neighboring building means that the city will either have to pay for damages or buy the entire structure and destroy it as well.

Crews from First Response of Nashville made the final preparations Monday morning to bring down the structure, which had been declared unfit for human habitation in March.

Workers protected utilities located in the alley behind the Center for Family Development and used cutting torches to sever a metal catwalk that extended from the rear of a building on the east side of the square to the failing building on East Depot.

Power was also cut to all businesses on the east side of the square while work was ongoing. According to planning and zoning director Kip Green, the plan was to keep the power off for two to six hours, however, he later stated that it should be restored by midnight.

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The demolition on the East Depot side of the building was estimated to take six hours of work, with cleanup taking six to eight weeks in the rear of the building, Green said.

Green also said that all the historical material that can be saved from the building would be salvaged.

A small crowd made up of business people from Depot Street and others showed up to watch the building come down.

Councilman Lee Roy Cunningham watched with the crowd and spoke critically of the demolition to observers throughout the process, stating that the city has "made a mountain out of a mole hill" with the situation.

The crowd was urged to step back to avoid being hit by possible flying glass and then the crew went to work with heavy equipment to pull the building down.

For nearly an hour, sections of the roof and walls were brought down, pushed to the interior of the crumbling structure in an effort to keep the walls from falling into 113 E. Depot, which once contained the Grapevine.

However, as workers moved further into the ruins in the early afternoon, a large section of the eastern wall fell upon the rear of the Grapevine, collapsing the rear of the structure.

According to city manager Ed Craig, the Grapevine is actually made up of two separate buildings and "clearly the first quarter of it is destroyed and that may be enough to total the whole building."

Craig said Monday the decision about what is to be done with the Grapevine would be based on the cost of repair to the building.

The city council had passed three emergency resolutions pertaining to the building at 109 E. Depot two weeks ago.

The measures called for tearing down the structure, an agreement with Wayne Hix, the owner of 113 E. Depot, stating that the city is responsible for any damage to his property and has the option to repair damage or buy it for the appraised value of $83,000.

The best case scenario would cost $62,420 for just bringing down 109 E. Depot and the worst case would result in the city paying $195,420 for taking down both buildings, the council was told.

The council also agreed to pay for any repairs that might be necessary to 115 and 117 E. Depot, where an interior wall becomes an exterior wall if the Grapevine is leveled.

The building at 109 E. Depot was owned by Alice Albright of Alaska, who is said to be pursuing legal action against the former owners of the structure.

Green added that the city hated to take the building down, "but it had been a while coming."

"We hate to lose a historical building but there comes a time when there is no saving it," he said.