Convent Not Coming Down This Year

The vacant Convent of the Holy Nativity will not, in fact, be coming down this year. A hearing this week saw a judge continue a temporary restraining order – and ordered the city and property owner to begin mediation. If there is no resolution by the end of the year, the judge then plans to deliver an oral ruling in January. The convent was destroyed by a fire in June of 2015 – and the city hired contractors to demolish the structure earlier this year. The owner argues the building is still structurally sound, but local officials argue it should come down for safety reasons. Fire investigators believe the fire was set intentionally, but nobody has ever been charged.