Demolition of former Citizens Bank building completed

The former Citizens Bank building in downtown Jonesboro has been demolished. Nabholz Construction, the company hired by the city to do the demolition, has filed a project closure form with the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).

The company will begin demobilizing its equipment on Sunday (April 7). The basement backfilling will begin next week along with repairs to city streets, sidewalks city utilities and other structures that were impacted by the demolition.

All road closures in the vicinity will remain in effect until the project is completely closed.

A timeline for full reopening portions of city streets that had to be closed by the project was not released. About $3.25 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds were used to remove the building.

It was once the tallest building in the city and a revered meeting hub for politicians, civic and business leaders.

The 70-year-old building has been an eyesore for the downtown area for many years, however, and its owners have been in litigation over what to do with the building. Projects have been proposed through the years, but none came to fruition.

The Jonesboro City Council unanimously voted to condemn the structure in December after structural engineers determined the building to be unsafe. A bulge on one side of the building prompted the inspection.