Downtown Jacksonville Cherry Apartment to Remain Shell Pending Court Demolition Order

The Cherry Apartment building at 342 West State Street in downtown Jacksonville will remain an empty shell until the city secures legal authorization to remove the structure, outgoing city attorney Dan Beard said. The delay leaves a prominent downtown parcel in limbo and raises questions about public safety, downtown revitalization, and how the city will cover a potentially large cost.

Beard said the city is “going through the legal steps to determine how it will proceed.” He added that “the city must first file an order with the courts, while still talking to the owners of the building,” and warned that “the city can’t go forward at all until it gets direction from the courts.” The building’s owner is an out-of-state corporation from Colorado, Beard said, and the city continues to communicate with that owner as the legal process unfolds.

City officials estimate demolition could cost up to a half a million dollars. No money has been set aside in the municipal budget for the work, and city leaders describe the expense as an off-budget, very expensive item. That combination of legal and fiscal constraints means action will be delayed until the court provides direction and the city settles how to fund or otherwise manage the demolition.

The situation coincides with a transition in Jacksonville’s legal leadership. Beard, who was first appointed by then-mayor Ron Tendick and remained after Andy Ezard’s election, is scheduled to step down as city attorney on February 15. Jeff Soltermann, who “has stepped in as city attorney in Beard’s absence from time to time,” will become the new city attorney. How the handoff will affect timing and strategy for 342 West State remains uncertain.

For downtown residents, business owners, and neighbors, the immediate impacts are practical and visual: a shell of a building can depress nearby property values, complicate redevelopment plans, and present ongoing maintenance or safety concerns if left exposed. Because the owner is out of state, local officials say coordination and any enforcement or cost-recovery actions will take legal steps that require court involvement.

Next steps for the city are clear in procedural terms even if timing is not: file the required order with the courts, continue discussions with the Colorado-based owner, and await judicial direction before any demolition or enforcement action can proceed. For the public, the case means continued uncertainty about when the downtown property will be repaired or cleared and who will ultimately bear the cost. Monitor city announcements and court filings for developments as Jacksonville moves through the legal and budget decisions that will determine the site’s future.