Bricks fall from Carlton Hotel, prompting street closure

Published 3:20 pm Thursday, July 24, 2025

Bricks from the side of the old Carlton Hotel parking garage fell onto Elm Street on Thursday afternoon, prompting a street closure.

“They’re gonna look at the age of the building, the damage that was done, the structural stability, the steel, the components of the building itself, and then they’ll assess the situation,” Tyler Fire Marshal Joey Hooten said.

According to Hooten, fire personnel initially responded but later left the scene. Only administrative staff remained on site to coordinate with other departments. In an afternoon update, the city said a street closure will be in place until further notice for the community’s safety. Elm Street, from Broadway Avenue to Spring Street including the sidewalks and alley entrance, is closed until repairs can be made.

The incident at the 15-story historic, vacant hotel was reported around 1:20 p.m., when a passerby noticed the debris and alerted authorities. By the time officials arrived, some of the bricks had already been crushed by passing vehicles.

At this time, an eyewitness to the actual fall of the bricks hasn’t come forward, so authorities say it’s still unclear when the debris came loose or what caused it.

As of Thursday afternoon, there wasn’t a timeline for when the assessment will be completed or when the street will fully reopen.

NORF Companies, which owns the Carlton Hotel and the surrounding property, said it is working closely with the city to address the safety concerns.

“Public safety is our priority,” said Ilse Stough, director of development at NORF. “… This is just another obstacle to figure out along the way.”

The city said NORF is working to get an engineer on site.

The Carlton Hotel, a long-standing but deteriorating structure located at 106 E. Elm St. in downtown Tyler, has been the focus of multiple preservation efforts over the years, though financial challenges and market conditions have repeatedly stalled progress.

In its prime, the Carlton was a 115,000-square-foot, upscale hotel with a three-story parking garage, rooftop swimming pool and a cabana.

NORF, which also owns the Lindsey, Fair, and Wilcox buildings, purchased the Carlton in September 2021 and previously said it intended to invest more than $30 million in the property. NORF’s plans include turning the building into an apartment complex with 100 units, ground-floor commercial space and a connected parking garage.

According to the city, redevelopment of The Carlton is expected to take place “once work is completed on the Lindsey and Fair buildings.”