Just as a bill was moving through the legislature aimed at saving it, the old Coburn's Supply building collapsed overnight.
Here are some photos:
The historic building, located near the corner of Grant and Second streets, was owned by DOTD. The state agency bought it when the design of I-49 placed on ramps there - and had plans to tear it down.
The plan has changed since then, and for the past several years the Lafayette Public Trust Finance Authority had been working with the state to transfer the property so the bit of Lafayette history could be saved.
Alex Lazard, executive director of the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority, said the collapse does not end the effort to save the building.
"That would still move on. That actually covers the whole block and so there's still a lot of building here, but we do see this as still being salvageable. We just have to figure and learn that out with our partners and with agencies."
The authority is now working with architects to figure out how to stabilize what's left and eventually build it back up.
"They want to save the building, so that's why I'm out here. We're trying to figure out a design right now to shore up the building so that we can then figure out how to put the building back together," said Jay Chase, owner of Chase Marshall Architects.
Senate Bill 71 is under consideration in the current legislative session, and would accomplish that.
We spoke with state Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, who authored the bill, and he gave us this statement:
"We thank God that there are no reported fatalities. The bill will continue through the process as we work with DOTD and the state historic organizations to formulate the next steps," Boudreaux tells KATC.
An investigation is still underway, but Lazard believes the cause of the collapse is weather related.
"We think that moisture came in, and we think that ultimately compromised the roof, and on the inside, it kind of fell and put on those walls, and the weakest one gave in. That's what we believe to be the case just on visual observation."
DOTD has blocked off the area and is encouraging people to stay away from the building to ensure their safety.
This is a developing story.
