Inspection of historic Tavern Building in Troy to take place after court order stops work on wall

TROY — An inspection will take place today by an expert engineer at a historic building in Troy.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Court order stops repair work on wall of historic Tavern Building on West Main in Troy

For months, News Center 7 has been following the legal back and forth over the Troy Tavern Building on the 100 block of W. Main Street.

On Thursday, the Ohio Second District Court of Appeals in Dayton issued an order “stopping, at least temporarily,” that the wall on the north side of the building’s third floor be shored and repaired.

The appeals court did not overturn the lower court’s order relating to the preliminary injunction that stopped the demolition of the building or hiring an expert witness.

“We are encouraged to see action on this matter by the Appeals Court, and we hope that a decision is reached expeditiously,” Troy Mayor Robin Oda said in a statement Thursday night. “Although it means West Main Street remains closed to vehicular traffic, at least we are getting closer to some resolution for our residents, businesses, and visitors.”

West Main Street between Plum and Cherry Streets has been closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic since June.

>>RELATED: Controversial building in Troy forces closure of West Main Street

News Center 7′s Xavier Hershovitz says the legal dispute has left the building just sitting in Troy for months.

It became such a safety concern for the city in June that they shut down West Main Street surrounding the building.

News Center 7 previously spoke with business owners that say their customers depend on this main route to get into their businesses.

One owner said she’s had customers complain about the struggle to get to their buildings through the construction and street closure.

Kennedy Coomes, Troy’s Main Street Director, told News Center 7 back in June that businesses claim to have been down 40% every single day since that construction started.

>>Judge denies request to demolish historic Troy building, orders repairs

Hershovitz says the future of this building remains in the hands of the legal system.

On March 29, the building’s owner attempted to tear the building down in the middle of the night. It spurred a legal and back-forth over the building’s future.

The city shut down West Main Street surrounding the building because of safety concerns on June 16.

A Miami County judge named an independent engineer to assess the property because the judge said there were significant concerns with the county’s chief building official and the Troy Fire Department chief’s assessment found the building was beyond repair and should be demolished as soon as possible.

The inspection is expected to begin around 10 a.m. today.

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