FORT MYERS, Fla – The City of Fort Myers is wrapping up demolition of a historic building. The tear down began overnight Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Historic Preservation Commission said that because the building sat within the downtown historic district, they should have had a chance to review and approve a demolition before it was issued.
The torn down property sits at 2208 First Street. Last week, Fox 4 told you that the city deemed the structure, which was 119 years old, unsafe because it had termites.
In a letter to the city manager, the Historic Preservation Commission said that the owner of the building previously came before them to plan a proper future for the historic property. It said this agreement included the demolition, so long as certain conditions of reconstruction were met. They feel the city bypassed them and that this will impact planning to rebuild with historic integrity and design.
In its prime, the building from 1900 was a popular restaurant. It sat right next to the Franklin Shops.
The commission is calling this a violation of code and is also worried, like others, that the eyesore created by the demolition will impact tourist season.
