Downtown Athens building crumbles

A section of a historic building at the corner of Broad and Jackson streets in downtown Athens collapsed Wednesday morning, leaving a large hole in the first and second stories.

The Athens-Clarke County Fire Department called the structure compromised after the incident occurred around 8:45 a.m. Rubble and building materials spread across the street, prompting officials to tape off the area within hours.

Elijah Fish, a barista at Atlanta Coffee, was working inside the shop when he heard a loud rumble. He looked outside to see dust filling the air and the corner of the building crumble to the ground. Fish said he was watching the same side of the street where the damage occurred and saw a lot of dust in the air.

The building houses Magnolias Bar and the Republic Salon. Joelle Johnson of the Republic Salon said the venue was closed until further notice due to the potential business closure of the building involved in the media attention. The bar had been open until 10 p.m. Wednesday, and the salon was open until 7 p.m.

The Georgia Department of Transportation and the Athens-Clarke County Council of Elected Officials are moving slowly in downtown Athens due to closures between the area and across. Traffic is being rerouted around the site. The Georgia Department of Transportation is managing the slow movement of vehicles in the downtown area because of closures between the area and across.