NEWS

Blaze Spells Doom for Two Evansville Buildings

Evansville’s downtown streetscape took a devastating hit last month, when a fire gutted two nineteenth-century buildings on Main Street.

Fire at 217-219 Main Street Evansville

A Double Loss on Main Street

The June 24 blaze in Evansville started in a vacant building at 219 Main Street and spread to an adjoining arts and music studio at 217 Main Street. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The damage was so extensive that city officials filed an emergency demolition order for both buildings.

Although the historic facades of the two c.1880s buildings had been covered over many years ago, the structures held a place in the streetscape. Demolition will leave a large gap and a troubling problem for Evansville officials as they decide what to do with the site once the buildings are razed. The news is particularly discouraging coming on the heels of a recent restoration boom in Evansville.

217-219 Main Street, Evansville
217-219 Main Street, Evansville

Two other buildings sustained smoke and water damage in the fire but don’t face demolition. Read more about the fire in Evansville Courier & Press.

 

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