For the first time since the implosion of Jacksonville's old City Hall Annex building on Sunday, Action News Jax is getting a look inside one of the buildings that sustained the most damage.
The Blackstone building has 25 glass pieces that need to be replaced, according to Lee & Cates Glass, the local glass company working on the repairs.
One person working inside the building told Action News Jax reporter Courtney Cole that the 6th floor of the Blackstone sustained the most damage.
MORE: Gas line, dozens of windows damaged during Old City Hall Annex Implosion in Downtown Jacksonville | Video: Implosion of Jacksonville old City Hall Annex
But offices on the 8th and 9th floor are in need of repair, too.
"This is the only window broken out on the 8th floor--it just happens to be mine,” said Thomas Duffy.
Duffy, an attorney, has been working in the Blackstone building for the last 29 years.
That means he's seen plenty of things come-and-go in Jacksonville.
We’re getting a look inside the Blackstone building for the FIRST time since the implosion of the Old City Hall Annex. 25 pieces of glass were shattered. What one person found inside their office from the explosion— #NEXT on @ActionNewsJax at 6: pic.twitter.com/ok9NleMWPa
— Courtney Cole (@CourtneyANJax) January 22, 2019
The old City Hall Annex building coming down after nearly six decades—was one of them.
“Originally we were planning on watching from here, but our building management told us 'absolutely not'—shutting down and closing out the building. They kicked me out of here, 1 o’clock on Saturday, I was doing some work on the weekend,” Duffy told Action News Jax.
So he watched the implosion on TV at home.
"And then get a picture from my law partner, Alan Pickert, who lives across the river—showing us a picture of the Blackstone building with windows broken out,” Duffy said.
When Duffy got back to his office, he realized one of those windows was his.
He also showed Cole the hole it left behind in his ceiling.
"There's other pictures showing what looks like a bullet hole up on the 9th floor. And a piece of metal came in— and went another 85-feet before it landed further down the hallway,” said Duffy.
He also found a piece of metal on his carpet.
“What I understood to be, there's a burn mark on my carpet that matches up with a piece of metal they think may have been a bracket for...that was holding the dynamite. I don't know that,” said Duffy.
Cole sent a picture of the piece of metal to the city of Jacksonville to find out what this could be, but they did not know.
Right now, Action News Jax is still working to learn how much these damages are going to cost the contracting company, Environmental Holdings Group, LLC.
Cole is also working to learn how the cost in damages here in Jacksonville compares to damage costs for other jobs.
She has not heard back yet.
Cox Media Group
