Inside an Abandoned Downtown Funeral Home

[llcp_tigger]

Hi would you be able to tell me if the building is still there?  Is it at all accessible for pictures?

[MusicMan]

It is still there. It is listed (on local MLS) for sale at $699,000.  (Seems too high for condition.)

Not sure about taking pictures inside, however.

[BIG CHEESE 723]

Recently there was a fire in the upper floor of the annex (garage area where the hearse remains)  The firefighters were in a dangerous situation.  And, yes, I know that is their job.  However, this historic building should have been demolished years ago.  WHY when COJ has decimated many building that could have been repurposed is this one allowed to remain?  It has been used for years and years by the homeless as a refuge.  Possibly the cause of the recent fire.  It is downtown.  Not in some out-of-the-way place that goes unnoticed.  The roof has collapsed.  The upstairs floors are rotting away.  The entire structure is crumbling.  It is a danger!  For thel ongest time after its abandonment the power was still on.  Why?  The power being on was one more  source of a possible fire.  How can COJ continue to ignore the hazards?  It is a death trap!  Tear it down before someone does die.

[thelakelander]

It's likely still standing because it's private property. At a minimum, it should be properly mothballed to keep vagrants out. However, unless the exterior walls are unstable, it shouldn't be demolished at the taxpayer's expense.

[sandyshoes]

OMG I just had a good cry after I went back to page 1 , recognized the building and the name of this place.  This is where my father's casket was purchased and where his visitation was held more than 50 years ago when I was a young child.  But yes rather than endanger firefighter's lives now it needs to go. 

[BIG CHEESE 723]

Ha! to the photo shoot question.  Nobody asks permission.  They just go in.  HOWEVER, I would advise against it.  My urbexer friends who have been inside multiple times (including the person who took those photos) are warning all to stay out.  Even they consider it too dangerous.  The owner is R. Peeples...of the Peeples Funeral Home.  He is the one who has left this to go to ruin.  Before he took ownership it was in good shape.  I can attest to that.  We had several family funerals there, or used the services of Sam McClellan (former owner/family friend)  My father's funeral was the last one we used their services.  That was after Peeples took ownership.  We were not happy with his services. 

[heights unknown]

Looks like a haunted house. The story of Jax (whether downtown, urban core, or in the county), leave it abandoned, and just wait for someone else to do something with it, and nothing ever happens and the building/property just sits there decomposing, rotting in and out, and no one cares; when will it stop.