Dilapidated former J.R. Koontz Flowers building on North Broadway has sold

A couple of days after celebrating his 40th year in business in 2014, J.R. Koontz put his prominent green building at 633 N. Broadway – not his J.R. Koontz Flowers – up for sale.

He had no luck selling the structure, which was built as a house and then became a funeral home.

Koontz closed his business in 2017, and the 10,000-square-foot building has sat empty ever since. It’s become an eyesore, complete with boarded windows and regular visits from the homeless.

Now — finally — the property has sold. Envision is the buyer.

“We don’t have immediate plans for the J.R. Koontz building, but we are always looking for opportunities to grow and expand our services to better serve the blind or visually impaired community,” CEO Michael Monteferrante said in an e-mail. “We already own the parking lot and green space next to the building, so purchasing that contiguous space with the building made sense for possible future growth.”

Envision’s headquarters is nearby at 610 N. Main St.

Look for news on plans for the property as soon as Envision shares any.