GROVELAND, Fla. – A 100-year-old building is being demolished after the city deemed it an unsafe structure, but not everyone agrees it should be torn down.

What You Need To Know

  • The City of Groveland said the owner of the Newitt Building tried restoring the building for 3-years

  • The city said the cost of restoring it would begin at $1 million

  • Groveland City Council voted to demolish the building
  • Longtime resident is against the demolishment of the building

The Newett Building is old in age, but for many, holds years of memories, especially for 66-year-old Wilma Toth Brown.

As Brown walks down memory lane, she goes by what used to be her parents’ restaurant.

“It’s almost like home because I spent more time here than I did at my own home,” said Brown.

Just a few doors down is the Newett Building. It started as a newspaper, but later hosted the Groveland Masonic Lodge – something Brown’s husband was very active in.

“My husband would pick me up and he wanted to work on the masonic books, so that’s where the masonic lodge was, up there. So many of times I’ve opened this door, you open this door, you make a quick right and you go upstairs to the top floor,” said Brown.

Through the decades, the wear and tear became more noticeable. Now the Community Redevelopment Agency deemed the building an unsafe structure. They recommended the Groveland City Council to demolish it, something Brown is against.

“This building has a lot of memories and meaning to me and I don’t want it torn down because it’s 100-years-old,” said Brown.

The City of Groveland said in a statement that "the Newett Building is a historic structure in downtown Groveland. It has been vacant since 2012 and is owned by a private owner."

The City of Groveland Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has been working with the owner to renovate the property for the past three years.  Numerous engineering analyses were conducted by the owner and the building was determined to have structural deficiencies. To renovate would require ADA compliance measures, a new elevator to the second floor, restrooms and structural reinforcement of the walls. Cost estimates beginning at $1 million would be very difficult for the owner to recuperate.

Recently, the city fire inspector and building inspectors found the building to be unsafe and recommended demolition. The CRA performed an asbestos evaluation prior to demolition. As an incentive to the owner to build a new structure, the CRA requested its board to approve an incentive to demolish the building. The request was approved unanimously. The owner has not yet accepted the offer.

The demolition cost estimates are being evaluated and the building will be demolished within 90 days.  The property is zoned commercial, and the owner has expressed interest in erecting a two or three story structure to house two or more business entities, along with an expansion of parking spaces and landscaping.  The CRA is engaged in attracting new developments to the downtown area and will continue to work closely with the property owners to design and build badly needed new commercial space in the heart of downtown Groveland."

Brown meanwhile hopes as Groveland grows, it doesn’t lose sight of its history.