Aug. 9, 2001 – As a host of people watched, an abandoned building on Norre Gade collapsed piece by piece Wednesday afternoon, spraying bricks, wood and metal onto the sidewalk and roadway in front of the building.
The 167-year-old building is directly opposite the Zone A Command building and sits between an office building that houses the Moore and Dodson law firm to the east and Goodies Grocery on the west.
First the facade began to crumble, followed shortly thereafter by the collapse of the roof.
As police, who had been called to the scene, watched, part of the second story crumbled to the ground, leaving the balcony hanging precariously over the street, one eyewitness said.
Police blocked off the street and moved onlookers away from the building.
The historic building is owned by the Maduro family, which was in the process of seeking funding to restore it before the collapse, according to Myron Jackson, director of the Historic Preservation Office, speaking to broadcast reporter Lee Carle.
Public Works personnel showed up shortly after the collapse and worked late into the night with the police to finish taking down the second story and secure the remainder of the building, preventing further collapse.
Published reports said members of the Historic Preservation Committee were on the scene discussing the use of the building's historic yellow bricks for sidewalks and other historic projects, but Public Works official Tom Dunn said the bricks would be used to restore the building. Dunn's remarks were supported by Randolph Raymo, a relative of the Maduro family, who told the Daily News that the family still plans to restore the building.
