Historic Jackson House in Tampa partially collapses, concerns grow about landmark's future

TAMPA, Fla. - A portion of Tampa's historic Jackson House partially collapsed, renewing concerns from city leaders about the future of the landmark and the long-delayed effort to restore it.

Jackson House partial collapse

What we know:

The collapse happened sometime within the last couple of days. The damage has left a portion of the building open, allowing a view through the structure to the other side.

The Jackson House Foundation owns the property and has been working for years toward a restoration. 

The foundation's chair previously told City Council that complications involving contractors, FEMA and other issues have contributed to repeated delays.

The foundation has proposed a restoration project expected to cost about $4 million and take up to two years to complete.

Restoration plans

The backstory:

The partial collapse comes shortly after Tampa City Council approved a $1 million grant for construction materials at the property.

Council members had already expressed concern about how much longer the building could survive without significant restoration work.

The Jackson House has suffered a partial collapse before. Another portion of the building collapsed last summer.

Councilman Bill Carlson said he has repeatedly pushed for the city to become involved in stabilizing the property.

"I've tried a couple times to get the city to step in, but the foundation hasn't wanted us to participate," Carlson said.

Carlson said he believes the building needs to be carefully dismantled, with its pieces labeled and evaluated to determine what can be salvaged before the structure is rebuilt.

Historic landmark

Dig deeper:

The Jackson House has been part of one of Tampa's oldest Black neighborhoods since 1901, when it began operating as a boarding house.

During the Jim Crow era and segregation, it provided a place for African American travelers arriving through Tampa Union Station to stay when lodging options were severely limited.

The boarding house remained open until 1989 and hosted prominent entertainers, including James Brown, Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald.

What they're saying:

Carlson said preserving the property is important because it represents a significant part of Tampa's history and is one of the few remaining structures connected to the city's historic Black Central Avenue community.

"I think this is a really important story of segregation in Tampa," Carlson said. "Plus, it's the only significant house remaining in what used to be the Central Avenue of Tampa. Imagine we had the Latin community, we had a white community in between, we had a thriving downtown black community that was like Ybor City."

Restoration efforts have been discussed since at least 2013.

Council Chair Alan Clendenin echoed Carlson’s frustration.

"To see the building fall into such disrepair over the last more than a decade of us having this conversation has been extremely frustrating," Clendenin told FOX 13. "Since I’ve sat on council, we’ve been beating this as much as we possibly can. Unfortunately, the City of Tampa, we do not own the Jackson House. It’s owned and controlled by an independent foundation… If you cannot accomplish this, give it to the City of Tampa so that we can get it done."

Council update

What's next:

The Jackson House Foundation was already scheduled to update Tampa City Council this week about its restoration plans before the latest collapse occurred.

It remains unclear how the damage will affect those plans.

FOX 13 reached out to the Jackson House Foundation for an update following the collapse but had not received a response.

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