ORANGE MOUND, Tenn. — Falling brick and debris from the old Melrose High School had people in Orange Mound worried about their safety.
The 100-year-old building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, but many people at the Orange Mound Community Center, which sits right next to it, said they want it torn down.
But there seemed to be a lot of confusion surrounding who is responsible for the future of the property and making it safe.
The City of Memphis told us it does not own the building, and the owner is Shelby County Schools.
But SCS told us the city is responsible for the property and is obligated to either restore it or tear it down.
They said it used to be owned by Memphis City Schools.
People at the Orange Mound Community Center told WREG it is dangerous now.
“We have children that play out there,” one resident said. “We have people from the hospital who come and sit in that area.”
Many said something has to be done about the old Melrose school building quickly.
Heaps of brick had already fallen off, and many of those pieces landed mere feet from the back door of the Orange Mound Community Center.
Some suggested renovating the building and expanding the community center.
“They could put the center in there for computer training and other types of classes,” one man mentioned.
WREG was told there are no plans currently to fix the building.
Over the years, several organizations tried, but no one’s been able to raise enough funds.
While some disagreed on the building’s future, most agreed something needs to change and change quickly before someone gets hurt.
