Building owned by Bloomington's Pendragon Properties on verge of collapse

A residential building on South Walnut Street in Bloomington is in disrepair and has been partially demolished. Its roof and most walls on the second floor are gone. Here’s what’s supposed to happen next.

Where exactly is the building on Walnut Street in Bloomington?

The building is at 414 S. Walnut St. but is part of the property with the address 410 S. Walnut St. That property, on the east side of Walnut, has two buildings on it.

The southern building, 414 S. Walnut, is in serious disrepair. A mesh fence encloses much of the property, including the public sidewalk on the east side. Glass in the building's front door and windows is broken or has been removed and blocked with wood. The structure has no roof, and of the second floor, only the front façade remains.

What’s being done with the building on Walnut Street in Bloomington?

In July of last year, the owner, Jeffrey S. Jones, obtained from the city a certificate of zoning compliance for full demolition. However, the Monroe County Building Department never issued the corresponding demolition permit, and the city’s certificate expired on July 19.

That same day, Jones again applied for a demolition permit with the county building department, and the city on Monday received materials for a review of a new certificate of zoning compliance, which would allow the demolition to proceed.

Gabriel Holbrow, zoning planner with the Bloomington Planning & Transportation Department, said the building is not subject to demolition delay, “so there is no discretionary review or public hearing or anything similar that this proposed demolition would be subject to.”

What does the owner plan to do with the property?

That’s unclear. The permit applicant, Rita Foddrill, of Pendragon Properties, referred questions to Jones, who did not reply to a phone message left at Pendragon.

According to county records, Jones bought the property in 2010 for $230,000. It was most recently assessed at $236,700.

How has the city of Bloomington been involved?

The structure was brought to the attention of city authorities as early as 2021 because vagrants had entered the structure to strip it of materials.

The city's Housing and Neighborhood Development Department about a year ago issued an order to seal the unsafe building at 414 S. Walnut as well as the building to its north, 410 S. Walnut. Since then, city officials and representatives of the owner have met on site.

On July 15, city employees contacted HAND as the façade "appeared very unstable," the city said.

"A site visit revealed that demolition had begun without a permit," the city said. "The owner and agent were contacted and informed that a permit must be issued prior to work. The Engineering department met the owner’s representative on-site to require fencing and possibly scaffolding."

Jones has sought another rental permit for the northern building, and, according to an inspection on July 22, the city said "all requirements were complied with except for the documentation of a furnace safety inspection."

Why the names Pendragon and Jones may sound familiar

City inspectors in 2018 documented more than 1,800 violations, including more than 100 for missing or broken smoke detectors at three of Jones’ Bloomington apartment complexes, according to H-T records. A 2-year-old boy died in late 2018 in a rental home owned by Jones after children playing with matches sparked a fire.

Settlement: Jones, Pendragon to pay $750K

The inspections led to the city filing multiple lawsuits against Jones. After Jones had racked up fines of more than $1.5 million, the parties reached a settlement in 2019 that required Jones to pay the city $750,000 and to bring the properties into compliance.

Jones owns approximately 31 active rental properties, according to the city.

"There are a few outstanding complaint inspections pending," Desiree DeMolina, the city's communications director said via email.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Building owned by Bloomington's Pendragon Properties on verge of collapse