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Another downtown building could be near collapse. Bricks from the back corner of the I. H. Pearson Dry Goods building located at 105 North Main Street on the east side of the Fayette square collapsed …
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Another downtown building could be near collapse. Bricks from the back corner of the I. H. Pearson Dry Goods building located at 105 North Main Street on the east side of the Fayette square collapsed sometime Monday afternoon, prompting the city to close off the alley behind the block of buildings.
The two-story building has been unoccupied for several years. It is mostly remembered as the location of the former I.G.A. grocery store.
Fayette Mayor Greg Stidham said the city is searching for a structural engineer to inspect the building. On Monday afternoon, he discussed the matter with the building’s owners, Gene and Li Gerlt.
“We were notified about the fallen bricks today and we have already contacted contractors to come and resolve the issue,” Mrs. Gerlt told this newspaper on Monday evening.
The Mayor said the building’s former owner, Brooks Ross, told him he had installed steel beams inside the building, but none could be seen through the gap created by the latest collapse.
The Pearson Building sits adjacent to the A. F. Davis Building, its neighbor to the south on the corner of the block. In September 2011, the city designated both buildings as “dangerous.” The owner at the time, Paul Cristal of Florida, claimed he did not have adequate funds to comply with the city’s order to repair the buildings, ultimately forfeiting ownership to the town via a quitclaim deed in January 2012. The city took possession of the buildings for $1 and then turned around and sold them for the same price to Mr. Ross on the condition that he would make the necessary repairs.
The city put the buildings in its crosshairs again in February of 2022 and contacted Mr. Ross via letter with its concerns over the state of the building. Mr. Ross replied that he had shored up the buildings to prevent further deterioration and passed an engineer’s evaluation of the properties. “I also cleaned up all of the debris from the initial collapse that blocked the back alley for almost a year because the city was unable to do so, even though it created a huge safety concern for all patrons and tenants along Main St,” he wrote.
Mr. Ross sold the buildings shortly thereafter. The Pearson Building was then sold again, this time to the Gerlts, who own now. Local attorney Frank R. Flaspohler purchased the A. F. Davis Bank Building from Mr. Ross.
Very few bricks remain of the rear wall of the Pearson Building and do not appear to be load-bearing. Almost the entire rear wall has been covered with metal siding.
The Pearson building was built around 1885, according to this newspaper’s records.
The city has been without a building inspector since November. The mayor has expressed a desire to hire a new building inspector, but for now, the role has not been filled.
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