Memphis City Hall showing signs of wear, falling marble

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The marble attached to Memphis City Hall is falling off.

While the fix won't come cheap, Mayor Jim Strickland's administration is looking for ways to make the exterior of the building safe.

This means that you might be able to take some marble home.

A fence went up in January, creating a fall zone around city hall.

The mayor's office says they're researching how to get the problem taken care of.

“It's extraordinarily expensive to put back up or make sure it's safe it's expensive to take off so right now we're studying all the options,” said Strickland.

After five decades, Memphis City Hall is showing serious signs of wear.

The marble attached to the façade won't stay put.

The mayor's office says the cost to fix is roughly $13 million.

“It could be cheaper for us to take all the marble off and somehow dispose of it. It may be we're selling it, it may be we're giving away,” said Strickland.

So a piece of the city's history could be a part of your kitchen or bathroom.

New downtown resident Lacey Ballard says taking home a piece of Memphis City Hall isn’t her style.

“I don't think I could do anything with it other than clutter my apartment,” said Ballard.

But she wouldn't put it past the dozens of talented artists and creatives who call the Bluff City home.

“That totally sounds like something a local artist would do something with,” said Ballard.

The mayor's office is just exploring the alternatives, and nothing is set in stone.

They cite up to $200 million in deferred maintenance costs for libraries, community centers and pools as ways money could be better spent right now, instead of dealing with the marble.

Copyright 2019 WMC. All rights reserved.