Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 20, 1990 TAG: 9007200351
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY BUSINESS WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The 60-year-old Jefferson on Jefferson apartment building is owned by Community Hospital, which indicated on its application for a demolition permit that it needed the property for new construction. A hospital spokeswoman would not say Thursday how the property will be used.
"We have some options," said Paige Pace. She said renovation of the building was considered, but refused to answer questions about how much that renovation would have cost.
"It was a business decision," Pace said.
Dan Pollock, housing coordinator for the city, said he considered the demolition "a shame. It [the building] isn't alone in going this way, especially since it is in the path of an expanding hospital."
Pollock said that in recent years, several properties in the area have been torn down to make way for medical-related construction. Pollock said the loss of any downtown tenants means a loss of potential customers for downtown businesses.
Donna Coleman, property manager for the hospital, said occupancy of the building had declined in recent years. She said among the recent tenants were nursing school students who were paying rates as low as $80 a month for an efficiency apartment.
Coleman said tenants were notified well in advance of the building's closing at the first of the year and that some were helped in finding new housing. She said some older tenants in the building had been there for many years.
Wrecking company owner Alan L. Amos said the project will take about three weeks - one week to knock down the building and two weeks for cleanup. He said some of the wrought iron will be salvaged, but little else.
The building's facade likely will be knocked down this weekend when traffic is the lightest. Amos, who did the Hunter Viaduct demolition, said the apartment building project is a routine demolition.
The hospital paid $304,189 for the property in 1970. It is assessed for tax purposes at $300,000, which includes $32,000 for the 50-by-109-foot lot.
The six-story Jefferson on Jefferson apartments were built in 1930. Coleman said little had been done to the building, other than routine maintenance to meet fire codes.
The hospital applied for the demolition permit June 20. Western State Insulation removed asbestos in the building before the application was sought, a city building inspector said. He said the cost of asbestos removal is routinely included in a demolition permit. The Jefferson permit, valued at $95,000, was issued July 13.
by CNB