Part of Tampa’s Jackson House fell apart on Sept. 7. This happened less than three weeks after Tampa City Council approved a $1 million grant for construction materials at the property.<\/p>\n
The damage left a section wide open, creating a view straight through the building to the other side. You could see through it like looking through a window.<\/p>\n
The collapse occurred over the holiday weekend at the downtown Tampa landmark on Zack Street. This wasn’t the first time. Another section fell last summer, making this the second collapse.<\/p>\n
The Jackson House Foundation owns the property and has worked for years toward restoring it. Dr. Carolyn Collins chairs the foundation. She told Tampa Bay 28 that the restoration contract has now been signed. Collins said most of the collapse in the affected area had happened last week, not all at once during the holiday.<\/p>\n
The building has stood as part of one of Tampa’s oldest Black neighborhoods since 1901, when it began operating as a boarding house. During the Jim Crow era and segregation, it provided lodging for African American travelers arriving through Tampa Union Station when options were limited. The boarding house remained open until 1989. Famous musicians stayed there. James Brown, Ray Charles, and Ella Fitzgerald all slept in their rooms.<\/p>\n
The foundation has proposed a restoration project expected to cost about $4 million and take up to two years to complete. Complications involving contractors, FEMA, and other issues have contributed to repeated delays, according to the foundation’s chair. Getting the work done has proven difficult.<\/p>\n
Tampa City Council Chair Alan Clendenin was one of two council members who voted against the $1 million grant. “Unfortunately, it did not surprise me,” Clendenin said, per\u00a0Tampa Bay 28<\/a>. “All of this should have been prevented.”<\/p>\n