The Andalusia City council agreed on Tuesday to remove the remains of the South Cotton Street building, locally known as “The James Store.”
The roof collapse caused structural damage to the building at 218 South Cotton Street. This in turn led to the second floor being thrown into the first. Andy Wiggins was the director of planning development for the city.
The City of Andalusia acquired the remaining building in 2020 as part of their commitment to downtown revitalization. It is currently working with private partners in order to salvage the remaining buildings. Many that were too expensive to repair have been removed.
Wiggins stated that a structural engineer has been called to inspect the building. “We initially thought that this building could be saved, but the engineer looked again and found a crack in the wall. The foundation had shifted.”
Wiggins stated that the structure’s design was based on the roof and second floor supporting the walls. Wiggins stated that the estimated cost to stabilize the building’s shell in order for renovations could start is $400,000. The building cannot be economically saved.
This decision was made while the City waited for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to approve the permit process to start construction of Heritage Park on South Cotton Street in an area that was once a railroad yard.
Mayor Earl Johnson stated that “We know we will need to address parking in the area at some time.” “Taking down this building might be in line with the development of additional parking and open up access the alley behind South Cotton Street buildings.
The City has already entered into two public-private partnerships for the development of downtown properties and is currently developing additional partnerships.
Andy Gibson and Draftstone Properties renovated the Opera House. It now boasts three retail spaces as well as upscale apartments on its second floor.
CDG Inc. is currently renovating the Prestwood Building in Court Square. It expects to move its corporate headquarters to the upper level this month. The downstairs will be completed and Town and Country and Lost Pizza will open in the first quarter of 2023.
According to Sue Bass Wilson, a local historian, the South Cotton Street building being demolished housed the Post Office.
James Store, which was a specialist in clothing worn by farmers, used “Down the Hill from High Prices” as its slogan.
An article published in The Andalusia Star-News in 1954 stated that Quinton James, the owner of The James Store had purchased it from Martin Theatres. The article said that the building had been occupied by Ganey’s Department store and Benson’s Department store before The James Store was founded in Andalusia.
The building was home to The James Store, Thrifty Stores and Thrifty Stores. Star-News editor Ed Danelly noted that workers re-sanding floors noticed that the flooring had the “Dixie stamp” that the Jackson Lumber Company used for lumber from Lockhart. This company was a global leader in longleaf pine flooring production.
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