City of Sedalia takes the next step in its process to demolish unsafe historic building
Olivia Hayes
SEDALIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
City of Sedalia officials evaluated a building along the city’s Main Street to develop a demolition plan for two of the units.
The City of Sedalia entered 209 W. Main St. on Wednesday under a search warrant to assess the structures ties to 207 W. Main St. and test for asbestos. The city is looking to demolish 207 and 209 W. Main, which have been declared dangerous buildings due to severe deterioration.
“It’s far beyond repair. Water has been leaking into the roof for several years. We had a structural engineer come, he looked over the building and decided that it did for sure need to come down. There was no saving the building,” said Jessica Hoffman, City of Sedalia’s spokesperson, regarding the buildings condition.
The city said its staff walked through with a different certified structural engineer and a licensed environmental technician during Wednesday’s inspection. The information gathered will be used by Miller Structural & Forensic Engineers to develop a demolition plan.
Demolition can also put surrounding buildings at risk. The city stated in a news release that city administrator Matthew Wirt has also coordinated with the owners of Main Street Logo, located at 217 W. Main St. While city officials say the building is structurally sound, its proximity to 207 and 209 increases the need for stabilization and preservation.
Mike Ingram, Main Street Logo’s owner, tells ABC 17 News his business received the Paul Braun Historic Revitalization Grant to help restore and preserve his storefront’s structure. Even though the grant was approved in May of 2024, Ingram said he still has not seen a cent.
Hoffman said that Sedalia’s Mayor sent a letter to state officials to try and expedite the proccess.
“So the quicker we can get the finances to them, the quicker that they can shore up all of their building before we come in and have to do the demolition,” Hoffman said.
Scruffy 2 Fluffy Dog Grooming, across the street from, 207 W. Main has had to board up its windows to protect from damage. Employees tell ABC 17 News that during a recent storm bricks and shingles from 207 W. Main flew across the road at their storefront.
“We’ve had to post some things on Facebook saying that our windows are boarded up but we are open,” said Ashley Williams, a dog groomer at Scruffy 2 Fluffy.
Not only has the situation caused confusion to their customers, its also caused problems for the dogs they service.
“A lot of people will just stand out here and just stand here and take pictures. When we’re grooming dog and they can see you from the table and they get excited and they want to come outside,” Williams said.
Many worry the building’s demolition will take away a piece of the town’s history, but Williams believes there so much more to Sedalia.
“Growth is also something that’s needed in a town. So whether the growth be in the downtown or not, we still have all these historic buildings. We have so many historic buildings down here that if it’s a danger then I feel like it just should be taken out,” Williams said.
The City anticipates receiving a report from Wednesday’s inspection within one week. That report will help them put together a plan for demolition which the city hopes to get done by the end of August.