Regency owner re-emerges; demolition delayed
TEXARKANA, Ark. — The owner of the derelict Regency House building downtown has regained control of the property, delaying its planned demolition, the city announced Wednesday.
Owner Guta Lands USA had apparently abandoned the building, at 110 E. Broad St., when its roof collapsed in August, causing a dangerous situation and prompting the city to move toward demolishing it at an estimated cost of $500,000. But Guta Lands USA recently has paid its delinquent taxes on the property, retaining ownership and preventing the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands from selling it at auction, according to a news release from city Public Works Director Tyler Richards.
The building remains condemned, and the city may still have legal standing to bring it down.
“With help from the State Land Commissioner’s office we have successfully contacted a representative with Guta Lands USA who stated they were unaware of the issue despite the multiple notices sent by the City. This representative was informed of the current state of the building and that immediate action must be taken. If we do not receive a plan from the owner in the very near future, the City will move forward with legal action suggested by our City Attorney,” the release states.
Richards stressed that the area in front of the property, at 110 E. Broad Street, will remain blocked to keep the public safe.
“I assure you the City is working diligently to resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” Richards said.
On Aug. 14, the Regency House’s extensively damaged roof collapsed through the remains of the floor beneath, destabilizing the structure and creating the possibility of falling debris. The city immediately blocked access to the street and sidewalk in front of the building and closed the park next door.
The building’s owner of record is A.V.S. International Group Inc., doing business as Guta Lands USA, with a principal address in Fayetteville, Arkansas, according to state incorporation records and Miller County property tax records. Guta Lands USA bought the property in 2015 for an estimated $84, and it has an estimated market value of $9,850.
The building was condemned in 2011, and multiple attempts by the city to contact the owner failed. Until recently, Guta Lands USA had forfeited the property to the state because of more than $740 in unpaid taxes. The Land Commissioner last attempted to auction off the land in May.
The city planned to buy the property from the state and, along with a smaller building next door the city purchased in October, demolish it.
When the city Board of Directors approves condemning a structure, notice is given to the property’s owner that they have 30 days to obtain a building or demolition permit. If the owner fails to do so, the city may proceed with demolition itself.
If the city ultimately does take down the building, it will place a lien on the property for the cost of the demolition to try to recoup its expenses, the only option available to hold property owners responsible for structures abandoned to become unsafe. The cost of demolition is so high that in that case, it is unlikely anyone will ever purchase the property and pay the city’s lien, Richards has said.
The property’s history dates to 1878, when it was first deeded to a local Masonic lodge, according to previous Gazette reports.
A general store operated on the site until the building burned down in 1885. Operators of a dry goods store, Texarkana National Bank and again the Freemasons in turn owned a new brick building at the address.
From 1945 to 1978, a department store started by William Dillard, later founder of the Dillard’s chain, operated in the building.
The building was vacant from 1979 to 1988, when it became home to Regency House, a retailer of china, crockery and glassware. It has been vacant since 2002.