Fire could hasten demolition process for Texas building

An early June fire at a vacant four-story office building in Beaumont, Texas, has local civic officials asking whether the structure’s demolition is now imminent.

An report from TheExaminer.com describes the Gilbert Building as “deteriorating” and as having already been in poor condition before the June 6 fire.

The structure was built in 1902 and initially served as the home of Gulf National Bank. A listing on DowntownTX.org indicates the building has more than 27,500 square feet of commercial space and sits on 0.165 acres of land. While the building sits within a National Register of Historic Places zone, the Gilbert Building itself is not registered individually.

Local media reports indicate the building has been owned since the 2010s by Tom Flanagan, who has been unable to find a redevelopment path forward for the Gilbert Building.

TheExaminer.com quotes Beaumont City Council member as urging the city to give Flanagan a longer time frame to save the building from demolition.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that this building is salvageable, and my family has been doing this for over 100 years.” says Taylor Neild, a fourth-generation family member of general contracting business H.B. Neild and Sons Inc., according to the city of Beaumont.

Among those preferring demolition is the local fire department, which recommended at a June 18 Council meeting the building be declared as an "imminent danger” and be demolished, according to the report.

Additional city staff members, according to TheExaminer, also recommended that Council authorize the demolition of the structure “without further notification or city council action.”

A report from KBMT TV indicates an engineering study has placed a $1 million price tag on the demolition process, with asbestos abatement being among the cost factors.