A property on Myrtle Street, previously used as a residence, was unanimously approved for demolition. The lot will be used as part of Helias High School's athletic complex.
The property, located on 1106 Myrtle St., was brought before the Jefferson City Historic Preservation Commission because it was built in 1930. Any property older than 50 years has to be reviewed by the commission and determined if it has historical significance.
Helias purchased the property roughly three years ago, and it has been vacant for about a year. It is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places nor was it a recipient of the city's Landmark Award, according to the historic preservation checklist. It has already been stripped of any items that could be salvaged for reuse, said Ed Twehous of Twehous Excavation, the company performing the athletic complex excavation.
The historic preservation commission approved the demolition application with little discussion.
Three more properties - two on Swifts Highway and one on Myrtle Street - will be reviewed for demolition by the commission during its Sept. 13 meeting. The 1106 property needed to be expedited because the house is in the way of construction, Twehous said.
With the demolition application approved, Twehous said the house will be demolished within a week and the lot will be graded for the parking lot parallel to what will be the football stadium.
The athletic complex plan was fast-tracked after funding came in higher than the $5 million goal. Roughly $7.1 million has been raised, with donors pledging to cover the additional funds for the more than $10 million complex. The entire complex is estimated for completion in summer 2017.
It will offer two synthetic turf fields for football and soccer, track and field venues, eight tennis courts, grandstands, locker rooms and press facilities.