Brick City rubble

Tommy Amodeo of A&A Demolition and Excavating drops the basketball hoop into a pile of metal to be recycled after removing it from the backboard with an excavator as he demolishes the old gymnasium at Osceola Middle School in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. The demolition of the old gym was started the day after Christmas and he said it was taken down because it was deemed unsafe. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Way back on Thanksgiving Day in 1883, most of downtown Ocala was destroyed by a fire that raged over several blocks. The rebuilding efforts involved the use of a lot of fire-resistant materials, including red bricks. It wasn’t long before Ocala gained the nickname of “Brick City.”

Over the years, a great many local landmarks featured the distinctive deep color of red clay bricks, including Osceola Middle School, at 526 SE Tuscawilla Ave. On Tuesday, Dec. 26, workers with A&A Demolition and Excavating told the “Gazette” they were demolishing the gymnasium at the old school as it had been deemed unsafe. Piles of old red bricks fell to the ground with each swipe of the massive yellow excavator.

Osceola Middle School serves more than 900 students in grades six through eight.  The school is in one of the Ocala historic districts that includes the nearby Eighth Street Elementary School.

The Marion County Public Schools district was on holiday break from Dec. 20 through Jan. 3. Attempts to learn more about the demolition project were unsuccessful by press time for this week’s edition.

Tommy Amodeo of A&A Demolition and Excavating operates an excavator as he demolishes the old gymnasium at Osceola Middle School in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. The demolition of the old gym was started the day after Christmas break and he said it was taken down because it was deemed unsafe. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.