A historic home on Evers Street was demolished Monday morning after it sat abandoned and in disrepair for 10 years. Wetherington Tractor Service was contracted to knock down the two-story home, salvaging doors, oak paneling, the staircase banister and windows.
The Plant City Commission voted unanimously Nov. 24, to approve the condemnation of the home.
When the house was appraised in April 2014, it was determined that it would take $115,000 to repair the house to the point that it would meet the city code’s minimum requirements. After these repairs, the house would be worth $145,000.
Because the cost to repair the house would be more than 50% of the potential value of the house after repairs, Building Division officials issued a notice and order of condemnation in September. The order required the property owners to demolish the house by Oct. 23.
But the owners, requested an extension on the demolishing. In a letter to Mayor Rick Lott Nov. 19, Nita Shaw, of the owning family, had hoped her daughter could purchase the property in time and fix it up.
“When we purchased N. Evers property … this property was like a beautiful, and dying, ‘old lady,’” Shaw wrote. “I immediately fell in love with her.”
Shaw’s adult children helped her and her husband, Lowell, with restoration and maintenance on the building and property. But, in June 2004, just six months after the remodeling was complete, a fire damaged most of the building, while Nita and Lowell were on vacation in Alaska.
In the end, the city did not grant an extension.
City Code Enforcement Manager Tray Towles was on site during the demolition. He, too, owns a historic home.
“I think for everyone around here, they don’t want to see it go,” Towles said.