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Report: Tampa's Kress Building still structurally sound

Tribune file photo (2005)

The former Kress department store needs work, inspectors found, but isn't in danger of imminent collapse.

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 25, 2009

TAMPA - The façade is deteriorating, the paint is peeling and the roof is leaking, but the landmark former Kress Building is not at risk of collapsing, city officials said.

In a memo to council members, Jake Slater, director of Tampa's code enforcement and business tax division, said the city's most recent inspection of the vacant building found no "imminent threat of structural failure" despite its dilapidated appearance.

Slater said the building's owners have been reluctant to allow regular inspections, which has complicated efforts by code enforcement to check for structural deficiencies.

"Attorneys representing the owners of the building have made it clear the no further interior inspections of the property will be allowed until further notice," he wrote.

The owners, Doran Jason Group, are facing a litany of code fines for failing to fix up the building. In January, the city's four-member code enforcement board found the owners guilty of a litany of code violations, but gave them until July to resolve the problems.

The building on Franklin Street used to house the S.H. Kress department store.

In September, the city council created an emergency fund with $100,000 available for owners of the building to make repairs. But the fund offers loans, not grants, and so far the owners have not asked for financial help from the city.

The loss of the 95-year-old landmark Gary Adult School last year highlighted the plight of Kress and other historic downtown buildings, many of which have been neglected.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679.

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