JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On a pleasant Friday morning as crews were putting the final pieces of dynamite in place, David Hallums sat back and took it all in.
With camera in hand, he snapped about a dozen photos from various angles of the building he remembers passing quite a bit, especially as a teenager. He's lived in Jacksonville since the 1960s.
"It's always been a good place to go to, a nice building," he said.
Friday crews secured dynamite in place, zip-tied tarps over sidewalks and finished building boxes to catch debris.
“Great view watching them tear them down, but I hate to see them go. It’s kind of like a piece of your life has been ripped out from behind you," Hallums said.
As Hallums stood in front of the old City Hall annex and old courthouse, also slated to come down in the spring of 2019, he reflected on pieces of his life that might best be left behind in the rubble, but good to look back on one last time.
“I’ve gotten a lot of speeding tickets in the past, probably help pay for half the Jacksonville police office cars with all my fines and stuff," he joked. "That’s the only bad thing this place reminded me of.”
The old City Hall annex and courthouse were once part of a $1.2 billion dollar plan that included a convention center, hotel and parking garage. Plans that are now squashed.
The city does not currently have any open requests for proposals for what the spot will look like. As much as he's sad to see the building come down, he's ready for what's next.