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Frustrated Neighbors See Landmark School Fall

Tribune photo by JAY NOLAN

Built in 1913 for the rural community of Gary near Ybor City, the school was designated a local historical landmark by the Tampa City Council in 2005.

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By KATHY STEELE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 9, 2008

TAMPA - Memories crumbled into dust Monday night as heavy machinery knocked down the former Gary Adult High School, crushing the hopes of residents who dreamed a miracle might still save the landmark.

"It's cold and calculating," said Jim Singleton as he walked the perimeter of a chain-link fence snapping pictures of the school's demise. "I was sick when I came up and saw this coming down."

Citing health and safety concerns, the city hours earlier had issued an emergency order giving owner John Simon three days to raze the building.

Reports by the code enforcement and construction services departments, the historical preservation commission and the fire marshal outlined worries about the 95-year-old structure.

All agreed portions of the historical building were unstable. Much of the vacant school's roof and west wall tumbled July 22.

Tropical storms and hurricanes, even thunderstorms with high winds, could further collapse the building, said Cynthia Miller, the city's growth management and development director.

"This is an unfortunate mishap," said Simon, who bought the property from the Hillsborough County School District in 2007 for about $331,000.

Frustrated neighbors say they watched the school deteriorate through years of school district ownership and complained that Simon did not take steps to board up windows or plug roof leaks.

"I don't want anybody to get hurt," Singleton said. "But it seems to me if only one side of the school collapsed, the rest could be saved."

The red brick schoolhouse, with Gary Public School engraved over its entrance, was the last visible symbol of the past, Singleton said.

"It's just a lack of respect for our history," said Fran Costantino, president of the East Ybor Historic & Civic Association.

Simon wants to rezone the property, 3610 E. 10th Ave., to build a sports complex. He said that project, which had a design incorporating parts of the school's facade, will move forward. He plans to salvage the school's bricks in hopes of reusing them for sidewalks and parking.

A rezoning hearing before the Tampa City Council is scheduled for Oct. 23.

Built in 1913 for the then-rural community of Gary near Ybor City, the school was designated a local historical landmark by the council in 2005. It was an elementary school until 1979 and then became an adult high school.

After school district officials deemed the building unsafe, students were moved to portables until a new Gary school opened in 2006 at 5101 N. 40th St.

Willetha Holder, 23, stood on 10th Avenue watching the demolition Monday. Her brother was among those who attended Gary Adult in portables.

"I think they should have torn it down way before," she said. "When you walked inside the school, you could hear floors creaking, like you'd fall in. They can rebuild what they want there and maybe it will be better."

Simon, owner of JVS Contracting, was cited in May for code infractions and ordered to make repairs. At an Aug. 25 code enforcement board hearing, he was ordered to tear down the school within 30 days or face $250 a day fines.

The city initially wanted the board to order Simon to stabilize the building and leave any demolition order to the Architectural Review Commission, which oversees historical structures.

But board members agreed with Simon's engineer that the school was a danger to public safety.

The city filed an appeal last week to block the board's order but later withdrew it.

The school is the "poster child" for distressed historical structures, said the city's historic preservation director, Dennis Fernandez. Gaps and contradictions within city code need to be reviewed.

Even before Gary Adult's collapse, Fernandez and code enforcement officials were working on recommendations, including guidelines and incentives to protect such structures from "demolition by neglect."

Fernandez said he hopes to submit those recommendations to the council within 60 days.

The situation with Gary Adult High School "didn't exactly play out the way we envisioned it," he said.

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7652 or ksteele@tampatrib.com.

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