Structural concerns forced Audrain County to expedite the demolition of the former Picton Furniture building.

The demolition of 117 E. Monroe St., a property owned by the county, started approximately a month ahead of schedule on July 1 after the facade began to pull away from the building and it became a matter of public safety.

“It pulled apart enough that you could see slivers of daylight from the other side,” Associate Commissioner Leslie Meyer said. “That pulling apart also made it where you could see the brick and mortar inside the actual structure was crumbling.”

Meanwhile, people continued to park on the street and in the parking lot near the building or walk across the sidewalk next to it. That became a public safety concern, so the City of Mexico jumped into action and closed Monroe Street between Coal and Jefferson streets on June 16.

“We were just like, ‘We can’t, in good conscience, not be proactive in this and do something,’” Meyer said.

When the county purchased the building, it knew there were structural problems, but Meyer said over the last three weeks, the facade separation had gotten progressively worse. Adding to the problem was the theft of the support rods that stabilized the facade shortly after the city closed the street. Commissioner Tracy Graham said the supports resembled stars from the outside. A police report has been filed with the Mexico Public Safety Department. 

“The county would really appreciate the people who stole the stars off the front of the building to return them,” Graham said.

Wednesday’s project ended up being a wet demolition due to the presence of asbestos, which Meyer said could not be safely abated because of the building’s condition. 

“It’s a small fortune to do the wet demo,” she said. “I was told it was predominantly the roof that was asbestos, so everything that was underneath the roof when it fell had to be specialty hauled to a specialty dump.”

Because it was an emergency, the county does not have the final project cost yet, but Graham said it was more than originally anticipated. However, the county has been saving money to put toward the construction of a new administrative building for almost 20 years, so the project is not at the expense of Audrain County taxpayers.

“General revenue dollars are not going into that,” Meyer said.

The site, often referred to as the Picton building, was the location of the former Picton Furniture store and various other businesses over the years. That building, along with the adjoining properties at 111 E. Monroe and 113 E. Monroe St., was purchased by the county.

“We wanted to have that whole block to possibly build an administrative building at some point in time,” Graham said.

The county also owns the former Pearl Motor Company building at 220 N. Jefferson St., which now serves as the Audrain County Courthouse Annex and polling place.

“It makes sense that you separate the administrative offices — collectors, assessors, clerks, commission — from the courts so that people who want to come in and pay their taxes don’t have to go through a metal detector or have their purse searched.”

However, plans for the site are not yet final. Future plans for the remaining buildings at 111 and 113 E. Monroe include environmental remediation and demolition.

“We’re evaluating and looking at multiple ideas for that area,” Meyer said. “At the time, it’s going to be leveled and stay level. That will give us time to figure out the best use for the land.”

Meyer said the decision to tear down a historic building was not made lightly, and every time she saw the front of the building, she saw potential, but inside was a different story. 

“You were taking your own life in your hands walking across the floor,” she said. “As much as I hate to admit it, there was no saving that.”