Jacksonville, FL — The old City Hall Annex has been imploded in Downtown Jacksonville. ﻿VIDEO OF THE IMPLOSION: LIVE: The Jacksonville old City Hall Annex is scheduled to implode at 8 a.m. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: bit.ly/2T2dVG2 Posted by Action News Jax on Sunday, January 20, 2019 IMPLOSION: Old City Hall Annex will be imploded this morning! I'll have special coverage with @JoeD_WOKV on @WOKVNews starting at 8AM. What to know: https://t.co/umSpOxlBFq pic.twitter.com/Q1Rgfz5VtS — Stephanie Brown (@SBrownReports) January 20, 2019 1PM UPDATE: The City of Jacksonville says a gas line was affected by the implosion. There are no evacuations in effect, but Bay Street remains closed. There are also several windows in neighboring buildings that have been shattered. Implosion update: Bay Street remains closed as repairs and clean-up continue. Officials advise that a gas line was impacted during the implosion and is undergoing repair. There are currently no notices of evacuation. pic.twitter.com/oAZUnzs8eD — City of Jacksonville (COJ) (@CityofJax) January 20, 2019 The Churchwell and Blackstone buildings were among those with shattered windows after the blast. Crews were already putting in new glass this morning @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/NMkpIFMkbD — Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) January 20, 2019 ﻿10:34AM UPDATE: After pictures show what appears to be some shattered windows at the building across from where the old City Hall Annex was imploded, the City says the contractor will address and repair any damage. Just got this email response from City of #Jacksonville spokesperson: "The implosion proceeded according to plan... Any damage to property resulting from the implosion is being addressed by the contractor and repaired promptly." https://t.co/XB7CY7mG4b — Jenna Bourne (@jennabourneWTSP) January 20, 2019 ﻿9:40AM UPDATE: We’re getting more photos and video of the implosion. Here's a look at the implosion of the Jacksonville old City Hall Annex from Sky Action News Jax 🚁 MORE: https://t.co/KLVE3oByIs pic.twitter.com/0WbQLYAmgK — ActionNewsJax (@ActionNewsJax) January 20, 2019 ﻿8:55AM UPDATE: JFRD shared video, as the clean up gets underway. Our partner Action News Jax reports some of the rubble will be used for training at FSCJ’s Fire Academy. This was the exciting part....now time for the clean up..... pic.twitter.com/sJqdHYJAj8 — MyJFRD (@JFRDJAX) January 20, 2019 ﻿8:25AM UPDATE: Roads in the area are starting to re-open. #JSO #Jax Old City Hall Annex Implosion Update -All streets affected by the implosion have been re-opened with the exception of Bay Street from Liberty St to Ocean St. and Newman and Market Streets adjacent to the Annex site. @JFRDJAX @CityofJax @JaxReady — Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) January 20, 2019 ﻿8:23AM UPDATE: As the dust settles, we are starting to get reports of possible damage to at least one building adjacent to the Annex. Nearby buildings feared the blast would cause windows to shatter https://t.co/YxYMB40sNp — Lorena Inclán (@LorenaANjax) January 20, 2019 ﻿8:17AM UPDATE: The Main Street Bridge has re-opened. #JSO #Jax Old City Hall Annex Implosion Update -The Main Street Bridge has been re-opened at this time. All other areas remain closed. @JFRDJAX @CityofJax @JaxReady — Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) January 20, 2019 8:02AM UPDATE: ﻿The old City Hall Annex has now come down. There is a large dust cloud around that immediate area, so you need to shelter in place. ﻿7:55AM UPDATE: The City of Jacksonville has staffed their hotline for anyone who has questions about the implosion. You can contact 904-630-CITY. ﻿7:47AM UPDATE: JSO says all roads in the “Exclusion Zone” are now closed. Everyone in the area immediately around the old City Hall Annex needs to shelter in place until police provide an “all clear”. #JSO #Jax Old City Hall Annex Implosion Update - All Traffic in the implosion area is stopped. This includes the Main St Bridge(NB), Adams, Liberty, Market, Newnan, and Ocean Streets. They will remain closed until cleared following the implosion. @JFRDJAX @CityofJax @JaxReady — Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) January 20, 2019 ﻿7:40AM UPDATE: Crowds are building on the Southbank of Downtown Jacksonville to watch the implosion Check out the prime view we have from the St. Johns River for the old #Jacksonville City Hall Annex implosion. It’s just 15 min away! Lots of other boaters joining us out here to check out a slice of Jax history. Watch live on @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/LosSwAvOlO — Jenna Bourne (@jennabourneWTSP) January 20, 2019 ﻿7:30AM UPDATE: Roads in to and leading up to the “Exclusion Zone are starting to close, according to JSO. #JSO Old City Hall Annex Implosion Update - Bay Street is now closed from Liberty St to Ocean St. It will remain closed until the implosion area has been cleared. @JFRDJAX @CityofJax @JaxReady — Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) January 20, 2019 #JSO Old City Hall Annex Implosion Update - Forsyth Street from Liberty to Ocean is now closed. It will remain closed until cleared following the implosion. @JFRDJAX @CityofJax @JaxReady — Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) January 20, 2019<doc-sep>JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was quite the site Sunday when the old City Hall building in downtown Jacksonville came tumbling down, but the city was left to deal with the aftermath following the implosion. There was damage to three nearby buildings: the Downtown Duval Building, the Blackstone Building and the Churchwell Lofts. When the 15-floor riverfront building along Bay Street came crashing down in a cloud of dust Sunday morning, the blast shook the area, breaking some neighboring structures' windows and rupturing a gas line, which has since been repaired. Ahead of the implosion, the city warned people and businesses in the area that there could be problems. Ryan Blackmann, with Project: Cold Case, leases space in the century-old Downtown Duval Building next to the site. He met with contractors and met with the city before the implosion. Ad "My landlord, the building owner, was very proactive and asking for help and what to expect. They didn’t think there would be any damage, so we weren’t so sure," Blackmann said. "So we had someone to wrap the entire building in plastic, which they did and accommodated that." The plastic may have helped, but there were still a few problems. A window in Blackmann's office was broken and some debris came down from the ceiling. A window was broken in Ryan Blackmann’s office at the Downtown Duval Building. "They were quick to come over and clean it up and boarded up," Blackmann said. "I'm sure they will be replacing it soon." It was the same story across the street at the Blackstone Building, where some of the windows were blown out, but most of the damage occurred underneath the building. On Monday, the front of the building remained taped off because of the broken windows. A deli located inside the building said Monday it was losing business because people could not get inside. Ad There were also broken windows at the Churchwell Lofts next door. BOLD CITY BLAST: Special section for full coverage, history of City Hall, Courthouse STORY: After 60 years, Jacksonville's old City Hall crumbles in seconds REACTION: Cool, scary, awesome among reactions to implosion IMAGES: The implosion from all angles REWIND: Watch City Hall go back up, come down again TIMELAPSE: Cloud of dust rises after implosion DRONE VIDEO: 2 more views of City Hall blast Ad The city and contractor will be paying for the repairs, but there was still more cleanup to do as of Monday. Due to Monday's federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., the debris from the implosion remained piled up on Monday. At the site of the implosion, the parts left standing were planned to be that way and will be demolished in the coming months. Huge recycling bins could be seen Monday, lining the road, because most of the debris will be recycled. That process began on Tuesday. The 38th annual MLK Holiday parade through downtown took a slight detour because of work that needed to be completed after the implosion of the old City Hall Annex. Instead of turning on Newnan Street, the parade continued along Bay Street to Ocean Street, turned to Independent Drive near the Landing and then west to Water Street. Ad City crews were working along Newnan Street, repainting street lines and getting it ready to reopen. Those in the area said the biggest thing to get used to will be that the old City Hall building is no longer there to block the sunlight. In the meantime, the neighboring six-floor Duval County Courthouse is being demolished, but will not be imploded. As for the future, there's no word yet about what will go in its place.<doc-sep>Watch party photos See more photos from the watch party at the Wells Fargo Center here As Jacksonville’s former City Hall crashed down Sunday morning, those who worked in the building over the decades found themselves at peace. City Council Vice President Scott Wilson is one of Jacksonville’s longest-tenured public servants, having come up through the ranks of the consolidated government for three decades. “I’ve got a lot of good memories from my time over there,” Wilson said a few minutes before the controlled detonation. He joined about 300 other city and business leaders Sunday morning to witness the implosion at The River Club on the top two floors of the 35-story Wells Fargo Center in an event organized by Perry-McCall Construction Inc. About 8 a.m., Environmental Holdings Group and Controlled Demolition Inc. detonated dynamite charges placed throughout the old 15-story City Hall building at 220 E. Bay St. About 10 seconds later, a cloud of dust and a pile of rubble remained. Wilson said old the City Hall, which opened in 1960, had charm in its heyday. City Council member and former Mayor Tommy Hazouri watched the implosion Sunday of the old City Hall. “I always thought the balcony outside the City Council chambers on the 15th floor was one of the great parts of that building,” Wilson said. “It had these old, really strong wooden doors and a lot of design elements from that era.” Wilson’s first city job was in the public parking division in 1988. “My office was in room 104,” he said. By February 1994, he moved to the former Duval County Courthouse, which is being demolished conventionally. Like other city officials gathered for the implosion, Wilson said tearing down the structure was the right decision. “It was an old building with space that wasn’t really conducive to the way we do business today,” he said. “I was always concerned about the asbestos, too.” As crews began interior demolition in August, they performed asbestos abatement and removed hazardous materials to prepare for the implosion. Other city leaders, like council member Tommy Hazouri, had a larger role in the building. Hazouri was one of seven Jacksonville mayors to serve there since it opened in 1960. His term was 1987-91. “A lot of history, a lot of fun and a lot of policymaking,” Hazouri said when asked what he best remembers about the structure. “I always looked at it like a little UN (United Nations) building.” One of Hazouri’s biggest achievements was ridding Jacksonville of tolls on roads. He said his office had signage facing the river that counted down the days before toll booths were removed. He said some of his fondest memories were the times spent alone in his 14th-floor office reflecting on the job and overlooking the St. Johns River. “That mayor’s office gets pretty lonely sometimes, and it was always nice to be able to sit back and think about the job you’re doing,” he said. “The good news about being on the water was you could look out and reflect on the pressures of it all and remember why you got into public service,” Hazouri said. Paving the way for development Like Wilson, Hazouri said the implosion was a step toward spurring economic development along the banks of the St. Johns River. The city developed City Hall and the old courthouse on the riverfront to encourage activity in an area of Downtown that was overwhelmingly industrial at the time. “Now times are changing and we don’t necessarily want government buildings sitting on prime riverfront property,” said Hazouri. City Council President Aaron Bowman and Michael Corrigan at the implosion watch party at the Wells Fargo Center. When demolition is completed in May, the combined 8.4 acres are expected to be marketed for private development. The mayor’s office said it has no plans yet. The city relocated operations to the St. James Building at 117 W. Duval St. in 1997. The State Attorney’s Office used the old building for a few years after that. Court activities moved from 330 E. Bay St. to the new Duval County Courthouse at 501 W. Adams St. in 2012. Since then, the city has tried unsuccessfully to market the property for redevelopment without demolishing the old structures. “It really wasn’t built to be anything other than a municipal building,” said council President Aaron Bowman, who also was at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday. “So, converting it into something else would’ve been very hard to accomplish.” Through his 2017-18 Capital Improvement Program budget, Mayor Lenny Curry allocated $8 million to demolish both buildings. “Developing is all about minimizing risk and we took a lot of that risk away by taking them down ourselves, making sure the property is environmentally sound before we put it out for bid,” Bowman said. The city previously identified the properties as a site for a new convention center. After months of debate, the Downtown Investment Authority decided to table discussions, saying Jacksonville wasn’t ready to build a new facility. Bowman said that was the right move. “We have an opportunity now to really think about what is successful development there,” he said. No plans are being discussed publicly, other than laying sod after the buildings are removed. Bowman said he wants to require any development group to retain some public green space so residents and visitors can enjoy the riverfront. “Because our river is our greatest asset,” he said.<doc-sep>
On Sunday, Jan. 20, at 8 a.m the old City Hall annex building imploded on schedule. The old City Hall building is located at 220 E. Bay St. This project came just two months after the start of the takedown of the old court house. REWATCH implosion of the Jacksonville old City Hall Annex: LIVE: Jacksonville old City Hall Annex implosion LIVE: The Jacksonville old City Hall Annex is scheduled to implode at 8 a.m. VIDEO and PHOTOS: https://bit.ly/2MjWpL4 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: bit.ly/2T2dVG2 Posted by Action News Jax on Sunday, January 20, 2019 "It's sentimental, but it's time," Tommy Hazouri told Action News Jax reporter Courtney Cole earlier in the week. The City Hall Annex sat on the corner of East Bay Street in Downtown Jacksonville for nearly six decades. [ Photos: Implosion of the Jacksonville old City Hall Annex ] Hazouri said the building may be coming down, but the memories will remain. “My most memorable aspect, well it was a lot of things! We had a lot of celebrities there, a lot of business, a lot of public policy made between the council and us,” Hazouri said. The15-story building took less than a minute to implode, but the falling debris is expected to create a dust cloud that could last hours. Action News Jax reporter Jenna Bourne spoke with crews were working to keep the surrounding area safe. Directly across the street from the old City Hall Annex, Blackstone Building general manager Larry Brake is no stranger to explosives. “I was a weapons officer for over 30 years in the military and I dealt with every type of explosive and explosive device that they had to offer,” said Brake. Brake said he was in contact with the contractor about what crews are doing to minimize damage to the surrounding area. “They put up a wall of used brick, and dirt, and one thing or another, to actually to deflect the concussion from the explosion on the lower portion,” said Brake. It did appear that a few winds of the Blackstone Building were damaged from the implosion. We’re seeing what appears to be shattered windows at the Blackstone Building, right across from old #Jacksonville city hall annex #implosion. @ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/jurMvjpko8 — Jenna Bourne (@jennabourneWTSP) January 20, 2019 Compilation video of 6 different angles showing implosion of the Jacksonville old City Hall Annex building: Jacksonville old City Hall Annex Implosion compilation video Here's our entire compilation video of the Jacksonville old City Hall Annex implosion from SIX different views! MORE PHOTOS, VIDEO: https://bit.ly/2MjWpL4 Posted by Action News Jax on Sunday, January 20, 2019 Stay tuned to Action News Jax on Twitter and on CBS47 & FOX30 today for continuing coverage of the the cleanup of the implosion of the Jacksonville old City Hall Annex. Cox Media Group