MOUNT VERNON — The windstorm that hit Knox County on March 13 exacerbated the already poor condition of several North Main Street buildings, including the last remaining Henry B. Curtis building downtown.
On Tuesday, the Board of Property Maintenance Appeals voted to condemn the buildings at 10-16 and 18-20 North Main, as well as 6-8 E. Chestnut St., for demolition.
The windstorm broke off a large section of the Curtis building’s facade. City workers erected scaffolding and netting to protect pedestrians, vehicles, and businesses from falling brickwork.
Previous reports documented long-term damage and unsafe conditions in the buildings.
However, Property Maintenance Enforcement Officer Brian Marvin said the “immense windstorm brought a situation to light that really needs addressed.”
“If we were to have that wind again, even with the scaffolding and stuff in place, I would be horrified to see what might happen if that whole facade was to come free and and fall forward,” he told the board.
Fire Chief and board member Chad Christopher recommended demolition within 60 days. However, the city is relocating a residential and commercial tenant, a process that will take time.
City council members must approve funding for demolition because it is over the $79,000 threshold the administration can approve on its own.
Additionally, the city must obtain the necessary permits.
Board members ultimately voted to require a contractor to complete demolition within 90 days.
The buildings were in poor condition when the city bought them in 2022, with plans to demolish them to make way for new municipal buildings.
Area residents pushed back, noting that preserving architectural buildings is important to the city’s identity, heritage, and character.
In October 2025, the Historical Review Commission denied a certificate of appropriateness for demolition. Commission members asked for additional information.
Christopher said that as soon as the city relocates the tenant, he will mark the building as off-limits to firefighters.
Deplorable conditions lead to condemnation
Marvin said the piece of cornice that fell weighed 50 to 60 pounds.
A building inspection revealed daylight visible through the brickwork, loose masonry, and evidence of a previous fire.
Inspection also revealed water seeping into the basement, missing mortar between the stones, and the earth washing away underneath the foundation walls.
Previous tenants shored up the foundation with stacks of cinder blocks.
“The basement to me is a grave concern, as a building, being a layman. Watching that building fall would be a horrible thing.”
Brian Marvin, property maintenance enforcement officer
Other problems are exposed wires hanging from the ceiling, ancient plumbing, and mold. A back stairwell has holes and rusted welds, and dead birds lie on the floor, with dried maggots around them.
Parapet and connecting walls are leaning and have cracks. Windows are skewed to almost a 45-degree angle, and the top sections of the facade are falling.
“I would not send another firefighter in there to fight a fire. There’s nothing inside that building worth saving,” Fire Risk Reduction Inspector Ross Wynn said.
“I’d be concerned if a vehicle went off the roadway and struck that building that it would fall. That whole area is a potential area for collapse.”
Wynn noted that not all of the damage came from the windstorm. However, the storm increased safety issues.
“Now that it has opened up to the environment, the longer it sits, the worse it’s going to get,” he said.
Marvin and City Inspector Scott Zimmerman both recommended demolition.
Mayor Matt Starr said the issue is structural stability, not cosmetic issues, and that the city is one incident away from someone getting hurt. That, he said, changes the conversation from preservation to liability.
Residents have questions
Residents Stacy Varner and Marsha Adams opposed the demolition.
Varner noted that no one speaking in favor of demolition is a structural engineer and questioned whether a structural engineer performed any of the previous evaluations.
He asked for a cost comparison between demolition and building new vs. fixing the existing structures.
“Again, we can’t say it’s not fixable until we have a structural engineering evaluation to say it’s not fixable,” he said.
Chief Christopher said that after an exterior and interior inspection, it would not take a structural engineer to know that the building is unsafe.
City Engineer Brian Ball said a verbal opinion from Mid-state Construction, the contractor who rehabilitated the courthouse, was that it would cost double to restore it compared to building a replica.
Mid-State did not provide numbers.
Adams also wanted numbers and questioned why there are not more guidelines for historic preservation.
She said the city engineer or the fire department needs to inspect historical buildings periodically to ensure they are sound.
“That building should never have been allowed to get to the point where it is,” she said.
Wynn said fire departments can only inspect commercial property, not residential.
Marvin noted the city supported a building code when the county discussed it several years ago.
Councilman Mel Severns said he is one of seven votes on the city council, but he “would not vote on $1 to be put in the rehabilitation of this building.”
Starr acknowledged that historic preservation matters and connects residents to their heritage.
However, he said the issue is structural stability, not cosmetic issues, and that the city is one incident away from someone getting hurt. That, he said, changes the conversation from preservation to liability.
106 E. Lamartine
Board members also voted to require the homeowner to remove debris from 106 E. Lamartine St. within 30 days and commence restoration within 90 days or face possible condemnation.
Marvin, Zimmerman, and Wynn have inspected the house, which was damaged in a fire last October. Concerns include boards, furniture, and other debris in the yard, as well as food items inside the home.
Additionally, wet wood, insulation, and belongings increase the risk of mold during the warm-weather season.
Marvin said that although the house is currently unfit for habitation, it is repairable.
