Pensacola magistrate says Immanuel Lutheran Church must repair Trailways depot or face fines

Immanuel Lutheran Church, owner of the "historically significant" Trailways bus station building near downtown Pensacola, has about three weeks to make some progress on repairs to the deteriorating building or face fines.

A Pensacola code enforcement magistrate ruled Tuesday that the owner of the mid-century style building needed to address several code violations including damaged exterior walls, a dilapidated roof and overhang, excessive rusting and peeling paint by May 6, or the church will be fined $100 a day.

He also ordered the church to pay $200 in court costs.

Code Enforcement Officer Kevin Smith presented the violations to the magistrate, saying no repairs appear to have been made to the old bus station since he first opened a case on the property in June 2023. Smith said the city received a citizen complaint on the condition of the bus depot in March 2023, but that was the same month Immanuel Lutheran Church requested permission to tear it down and he awaited the decision and potential follow up activity before sending notice of violation.

A year ago, the city’s Architectural Review Board denied a request by Immanuel Lutheran Church to demolish the old bus depot to make way for a parking lot. The church needed the ARB’s approval because the building, located at 301. N. Baylen St., is in the Palafox Historic Business District.

The ARB board unanimously denied the demolition request saying there are no financial, unusual or compelling circumstances to justify demolishing the historically and architecturally significant building.

The 1960s-era building served as a bus station and was often a meeting place for local civil rights leaders in Pensacola at the time. Several residents and city leaders also spoke in favor of restoring and repurposing the property, but the church took no action either appealing the ARB’s decision or making repairs.

The church told the city they wanted to tear down the old bus depot because it’s falling apart, is unsafe, and attracts people who are homeless to the property.

Members of the ARB said the condition of the property is the owner’s responsibility and the church allowed it to get to this point. At the time of the decision denying the demolition permit, the ARB said the deteriorating condition of the building was due to “demolition by neglect.”

Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves commented on the property during his weekly press conference.

“At the end of the day what we have to deal with when we talk about historic buildings, if blight is self-inflicted then that might be a different scenario if someone bought it a year ago and maybe didn’t realize,” said Reeves. “If you’ve owned it for almost 40 years and it’s blighted and the argument to knock it down is because it was blighted, you can understand what you’re saying is you just don’t care (about) the historic building and ultimately you’ll get your way.”

A parishioner of Immanuel Lutheran Church spoke at the code enforcement hearing saying she saw no historic value in the building, and she didn’t believe the church could afford the fines and court costs.

“I think it would be a very difficult financial ability of the church to pay,” Alice Baker said. ”I just wish they'd grant the church the ability to demolish.”

A motion by the church’s attorney to continue the hearing was denied. No one else appeared to speak on behalf of the church.

The magistrate said if the building is not in “rough compliance” by May 6, the fines will start May 7.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Trailways bus depot must be repaired by church or face fines