From Memphis Daily News:

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. made a brief and unexpected appearance Tuesday, April 10, in Environmental Court.

Wharton showed up to urge General Sessions Court Judge Name SearchWatch Service">Larry Potter to order the demolition of a damaged building on Madison Avenue near Main Street Downtown.

The building sustained serious damage last year during a heavy rain that caused its roof to collapse.

Owners had been trying to salvage the rest of the building.

In the interim, the immediate area around the building has been sealed off. At first all of the Madison block the building is on was closed to trolley and vehicle traffic.

One lane remains closed and has drawn complaints from not only City Hall but Downtown developers.

The building’s demolition has been delayed in a dispute between the city and the alleged owner on who would pay the cost of shoring up the north wall at 118 Madison and the south wall at Property SearchCrime ReportNeighborhood ReportWatch Service">119 S. Court Ave. so demolition could continue.

Potter ordered the city to shore up the walls and the cost would be charged as a lien by the city of Memphis against the property or the owners.

The ownership of the building is in dispute.

The courtroom role is not new for Wharton who was a practicing private attorney and Shelby County public defender before he was elected Shelby County mayor in 2002.