Demolition begins on former Agent & Mallory-Martin Funeral Home
Aging building owned by Sequoyah County being cleared for construction of new courthouse annex
Demolition of the former Agent & Mallory-Martin Funeral Home, located at the corner of Chickasaw Avenue and Elm Street adjacent to the Sequoyah County Courthouse, began Wednesday morning, clearing the way for the construction of a new courthouse annex.
The first “bite” of the mostly wooden structure came at 7:52 a.m. when equipment tore into the awning on the facility’s southeast corner. Thirty-five minutes later, the front facade of the former Emergency Management office came crashing down. Less than five hours later during the noon hour, the building was a pile of rubble. Several onlookers observed that buildings come down a lot faster than they go up.
County crews were removing office furniture from the building as late as seven minutes prior to the first gash was cut. Debris from the building will be trucked away during the remainder of the week.
As county employees watched the building topple, there were poignant comments shared by many — “How sad,” “It’s kind of therapeutic,” “It was always a calming, peaceful place to go” and “Imagine how many people have said good-bye to their loved ones there.”
The county has owned the building for more than 10 years. Prior to Agent & Mallory-Martin moving to its new building, there had been a funeral home at the southeast corner of the city’s center since 1902.
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