Downtown Parkersburg building demolished two years after alley closure
Workers with J.C. Bosley Construction tear down a building at 318 Fifth St. in Parkersburg Monday. The city acquired the property via eminent domain after closing a neighboring alley two years ago due to concern over bricks falling off the building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A portion of Fifth Street in Parkersburg was blocked Monday as a crew from J.C. Bosley Construction demolished 318 Fifth St. ((Photo by Evan Bevins)
All three layers of brick on the exterior of 318 Fifth St. have been compromised, according to a Parkersburg city engineer’s report. Branches of a tree are seen growing out of openings in the facade Monday as the building is torn down. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Workers with J.C. Bosley Construction tear down a building at 318 Fifth St. in Parkersburg Monday. The city acquired the property via eminent domain after closing a neighboring alley two years ago due to concern over bricks falling off the building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Workers with J.C. Bosley Construction tear down a building at 318 Fifth St. in Parkersburg Monday. The city acquired the property via eminent domain after closing a neighboring alley two years ago due to concern over bricks falling off the building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A portion of Fifth Street in Parkersburg was blocked Monday as a crew from J.C. Bosley Construction demolished 318 Fifth St. ((Photo by Evan Bevins)
All three layers of brick on the exterior of 318 Fifth St. have been compromised, according to a Parkersburg city engineer’s report. Branches of a tree are seen growing out of openings in the facade Monday as the building is torn down. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Workers with J.C. Bosley Construction tear down a building at 318 Fifth St. in Parkersburg Monday. The city acquired the property via eminent domain after closing a neighboring alley two years ago due to concern over bricks falling off the building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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PARKERSBURG -- Demolition began Monday on a downtown building whose dilapidated condition led to the closure of an adjacent alley nearly two years ago.
The Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority, consisting of all City Council members, voted 4-1, with four members absent, in September 2022 to acquire 318 Fifth St. via eminent domain. The city had closed Phillips Court Alley beside the building five months earlier due to concerns over falling bricks.
Parkersburg Development Director Ryan Barber cited a March 2022 memo from City Engineer Adam Stout that described foundational issues as well as deterioration of the bricks linked to improperly connected downspouts. It noted the exterior of the building had three layers of bricks, all of which were compromised.
City officials worked with building owner Paul Hildebrand over an approximately 18-month period to address exterior code violations, Barber said, but the property was ultimately presented to the URA for acquisition by eminent domain. The process was completed in October, Mayor Tom Joyce said.
The city paid a fair market value price of $50,000 for the building, with demolition, including asbestos abatement, to cost $146,000, according to city Finance Director Eric Jiles.
Mike Williams, president and owner of iTech, which bought and renovated the former Parkersburg Office Supply Co. building at Fifth and Avery streets six years ago, watched as a crew from J.C. Bosley Construction razed the neighboring structure Monday morning. He said it would have been nice if someone could have rehabilitated the structure at 318 Fifth St.
"You hate to see any building come down," Williams said. "Sometimes, buildings get to the point where they're not repairable."
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com