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WATCH IT AGAIN: After delays, Berkman II imploded in Jacksonville

Abandoned building demolished at 10 a.m. Sunday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The building known as downtown Jacksonville’s eyesore came down Sunday, according to News 6 partner WJXT.

The Berkman Plaza II building has been an abandoned structure on East Bay Street for several years.

INTERACTIVE TIMELINE: Key moments in the Berkman Plaza II eyesore saga

Sunday’s $1.2 million demolition comes after years of back and forth. Jacksonville officials said this process has been frustrating with all the delays.

The implosion was already delayed once this year. The Jan. 8 date was said to be “too optimistic.”

The partially completed building has been sitting since the construction stopped in 2007.

Last year, there was a permit to demolish the building from the top-down. But then contractors found problems with the structure and required an emergency stop to all demolition activities.

Now, a developer wants to replace the Berkman II with the city’s tallest skyscraper.

Bay Street was closed from 7 a.m. and will reopen after noon once any potential debris gets cleared from the road.

The abandoned building was set to be demolished at 10 a.m. Sunday.


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