8-28-04- One of Ardmore's oldest, most historic buildings came crashing down early Saturday morning on Main Street downtown. The old building off "A" and Main Street has stood in Ardmore more than 100 years, serving as the city's first hospital.

But Saturday morning around 8:00 a.m., neighbors heard a roaring sound that went on for more than five minutes. The noise was the building coming down in pieces. According to city officials, the early morning rain caused the roof to collapse and the south side of the building to cave outward onto the street.

This was not the first time parts of the building have fallen off. Two years ago, the south wall came down, starting a controversy between the city and the historical board and the owner of the building. The city wanted to tear down the building, but the board wanted to repair it.

City crews spent all of the day Saturday cleaning up the scene. The city want to demolish the rest of the building, but the historical board still want to preserve the front. A decision could be made as early as Monday.

For safety reasons, the city has closed East Main down to one laneof traffic in front of the building and completely closed down "A" Street from Main to Paradise Alley until Monday.