501 SW 4th Street dilapidation

A resident of the connected apartment complex said she doesn't care about the tower but fears the apartments will be torn down too, and described years of maintaining the complex at her own expense.

One of the new Slovenian co-owners of the Lawtonian said they only recently regained the property after a years-long court fight, were stunned by the damage, and intend to repair the apartments first and then assess the tower.

The Bishop Public School superintendent and former estate representative vouched for the family, said the 50,000-square-foot building is structurally rock solid, and urged the council to give them time rather than tear it down.