TEXARKANA, Ark. - In August, the roof of the derelict Regency House building downtown collapsed, causing a need for the structure to be demolished as soon as possible at an estimated cost to the city of $500,000.
The collapse destabilized the structure and created the possibility of falling debris. The city immediately blocked access to the street and sidewalk in front of the building and closed the park next door.
Owner Guta Lands USA had apparently abandoned the building, at 110 E. Broad St. But the company recently has paid its delinquent taxes on the property, retaining ownership and preventing the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands from selling it at auction.
The building was condemned in 2011, and the city may still have legal standing to bring it down.
"If we do not receive a plan from the owner in the very near future, the City will move forward with legal action suggested by our City Attorney," Public Works Director Tyler Richards said in a November news release.
Until recently, Guta Lands USA had forfeited the property to the state because of more than $740 in unpaid taxes. The Land Commissioner last attempted to auction off the land in May.
The city planned to buy the property from the state and - along with a smaller building next door the city purchased in October - demolish it.
When the city Board of Directors approves condemning a structure, notice is given to the property's owner that they have 30 days to obtain a building or demolition permit. If the owner fails to do so, the city may proceed with demolition itself.
If the city ultimately does take down the building, it will place a lien on the property for the cost of the demolition to try to recoup its expenses, the only option available to hold property owners responsible for structures abandoned to become unsafe. The cost of demolition is so high that in that case, it is unlikely anyone will ever purchase the property and pay the city's lien, Richards has said.
The property's history dates to 1878, when it was first deeded to a local Masonic lodge, according to previous Gazette reports.
A general store operated on the site until the building burned down in 1885. Operators of a dry goods store, Texarkana National Bank and again the Freemasons in turn owned a new brick building at the address.
From 1945 to 1978, a department store started by William Dillard, later founder of the Dillard's chain, operated in the building.
The building was vacant from 1979 to 1988, when it became home to Regency House, a retailer of china, crockery and glassware. It has been vacant since 2002.