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If you drove down West State Street in Jacksonville this week, you saw it: a high-reach excavator taking apart the old three-story brick apartment building at 342 W. State St., one bucket-load at a time. The Cherry Apartments — vacant for years and gutted by fire in January — started coming down on July 22, 2026. We put a drone over the site on day two to document the teardown in 4K, and to record what this century-old corner of State Street looked like before it becomes an empty lot.
Watch the Demolition From the Air
The flight is a slow 360-degree pull-out around the building, shot in 4K at 60 frames per second on the afternoon of July 23, 2026. You can see the fire-charred upper floors, the Link-Belt high-reach excavator working the west wing, the water spray keeping dust off downtown, and debris trucks cycling in and out on State Street.
What Was the Cherry Apartments?
The Cherry Apartments stood at 342 West State Street, on the south side of the corridor that connects downtown Jacksonville to the west side — a few blocks from the square, surrounded by churches, county offices, and businesses.
It was a classic piece of early-1900s West State Street: three stories of dark brick, twin bay windows on the street face, corbelled cornice work along the roofline. For most of its life it did exactly what it was built to do — provide walk-to-downtown apartment living. City officials have said it was a good, well-maintained apartment house as recently as ten to fifteen years ago.
Then came the slide familiar to a lot of aging multi-family buildings: deferred maintenance, turnover, decline. The building changed hands twice in its final decade — selling for $280,000 in 2017 and again to an LLC buyer for $350,000 a few years later — but it ultimately sat empty for the last several years despite the city’s efforts to see it turned around.
The January Fire That Sealed Its Fate
Just before 6 a.m. on January 15, 2026, the Jacksonville Fire Department was called to the building and found heavy fire conditions inside. Crews searched the structure and confirmed no one was inside — the building was vacant — and spent about two and a half hours bringing the fire under control, then the rest of the morning chasing hot spots.
No one was hurt. But the fire tore through the roof and upper floors, and the damage on top of years of deterioration left the building beyond saving. The city deemed it unsafe — a threat to the public and to the buildings around it — and scheduled it for demolition. The fire itself has been investigated as intentionally set.
Our top-down photos below show exactly what that fire did: the entire roof structure burned through and collapsed into the third floor, and it sat open to the weather for six months.
The $350,000 Teardown
Long-anticipated demolition work began July 22, with Jaren Industries handling the teardown at a cost of about $350,000 to the City of Jacksonville — money the city hopes to recover at least in part from the building’s owners.
If the pace looks slow from the street, that is by design. The building butts directly against the new Morgan County probation department and coroner’s office, which has been off-limits since the fire. Community Development Director Brian Nyberg has said the close quarters are why the project is expected to take three to four weeks instead of days. Jaren also retested the building materials at its own expense as part of getting the asbestos out, and crews are running water over the wreckage constantly to keep dust down — you can see the spray working in several of our photos.
Cherry Apartments timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Early 1900s | Three-story brick apartment block built on West State Street. |
| 2017 | Building sells for $280,000; sells again to an LLC buyer for $350,000 a few years later. |
| ~2020s | Building declines and eventually sits vacant despite city efforts. |
| January 15, 2026 | Early-morning fire guts the upper floors. No injuries; fire investigated as intentionally set. Building deemed unsafe. |
| July 22, 2026 | Jaren Industries begins demolition for the City of Jacksonville (~$350,000). |
| July 23, 2026 | This drone video and photo set captured on day two of the teardown. |
| Mid-August 2026 | Expected completion, roughly 3–4 weeks after the start. |
Fire and demolition details reported by WLDS, WAND-TV, and other local outlets, plus City of Jacksonville statements.
The Aerial Photos
Every image below was captured July 23, 2026, under FAA Part 107 rules from outside the work zone. Click any photo to view it full-screen.
A Corner of State Street, Before and After
Demolitions like this are exactly why we fly. Once the last truckload of brick leaves, there is no going back for the photo — the building becomes a flat lot, and eventually most people forget what stood there.
The aerial angle also tells the story better than any ground shot can. From above you can see the fire damage that made the decision for the city, the tight clearance to the new Morgan County offices that dictated the slow pace, and how the site fits into the larger State Street corridor — the same corridor Jacksonville has been steadily reinvesting in with new streetscaping, new county facilities, and downtown revitalization.
We shot the same kind of documentation for a historic Jacksonville home listing, and we archive full-resolution copies of everything we capture. If you have a connection to this building — a former resident, a neighbor, a local historian — the full photo set exists.
Drone Documentation for Demolition & Construction
If you are a contractor, developer, or municipality, this post doubles as a demo. Aerial progress documentation is one of the most practical uses of a licensed drone operator:
- Progress records. Dated 4K photo and video flyovers at each project milestone — invaluable for owners, lenders, and marketing.
- Site logistics and safety. A top-down view of staging, equipment placement, fencing, and clearances that a ground walk cannot give you.
- Dispute protection. Time-stamped aerial documentation of site conditions before, during, and after work.
- Marketing footage. Demolition and construction video consistently outperforms almost everything else a contractor can post.
Need a Project Documented From the Air?
Elevated Ideas provides FAA Part 107 licensed drone photography and 4K video across Jacksonville, Springfield, and west-central Illinois — construction and demolition progress, real estate, events, and marketing.
FAA Part 107 certified • 4K • Jacksonville, IL based
Common Questions
State Street Demolition FAQ
What building is being torn down on State Street in Jacksonville, IL?
The Cherry Apartments, a vacant three-story brick apartment building at 342 West State Street in Jacksonville, Illinois, a few blocks west of the downtown square. The building was heavily damaged in an early-morning fire in January 2026 and was deemed unsafe, and the City of Jacksonville ordered it demolished. Crews began tearing it down on July 22, 2026.
What happened to the Cherry Apartments?
The building caught fire in the early morning hours of January 15, 2026, shortly before 6 a.m. The Jacksonville Fire Department found heavy fire conditions, searched the building, and confirmed it was unoccupied. It took roughly two and a half hours to bring the fire under control. The building was vacant at the time, no one was hurt, and the fire has been investigated as intentionally set.
Who is demolishing the building, and what does it cost?
Jaren Industries is performing the demolition under contract with the City of Jacksonville at a cost of about $350,000. The city has said it hopes to recover at least part of that cost from the building’s owners.
How long will the State Street demolition take?
City officials estimate three to four weeks from the July 22, 2026 start. That is deliberately slow for a building this size — the structure sits directly against the new Morgan County probation department and coroner’s office, so crews are picking it apart piece by piece rather than knocking it down quickly.
Was there asbestos in the building?
Asbestos was a factor in the demolition planning. According to the city, Jaren Industries retested the materials at its own expense as part of getting the asbestos out before and during the teardown, and crews are using wetting techniques to control dust as the building comes down.
How old was the Cherry Apartments building?
The building was a classic early-1900s style three-story brick apartment block, with bay windows and corbelled brick detailing typical of that era on West State Street. Local officials described it as a well-maintained apartment house within the last couple of decades before it declined and eventually sat empty in its final years.
What will replace the Cherry Apartments?
Nothing has been announced yet. Once the demolition wraps up, the lot will be cleared and the city will decide next steps. Given the location — on the State Street corridor between the downtown square and the west side, next to the new Morgan County offices — the parcel is likely to draw interest.
Is it legal to fly a drone over a demolition site?
Yes, with conditions. Our footage was captured under FAA Part 107 commercial drone rules, flying from outside the fenced work zone, without flying directly over workers, and below 400 feet. Demolition and construction sites are one of the most common professional drone assignments — the aerial angle shows progress, site logistics, and safety conditions that ground photos simply cannot.
Can I hire a drone photographer in Jacksonville or Springfield, IL?
That is exactly what we do. Elevated Ideas provides FAA Part 107 licensed drone photography and video across Jacksonville, Springfield, and west-central Illinois — construction and demolition progress documentation, real estate, events, marketing footage, and historical documentation like this post. Reach out through our contact page for a quote.