Families Evicted After Troubled Apartments Deemed Unsafe

INDIANAPOLIS -- A landmark apartment complex with a troubled past was officially shutdown Wednesday, and nearly a dozen families still living there were told they couldn't return.

The Keystone Tower Apartments on 45th Street near Allisonville Road and Fall Creek Parkway were deemed unfit for human habitation by the Marion County Health Department Wednesday, 6News' Jack Rinehart reported.

The building, which has been mostly vacant for the last few months, hasn't had running water since Sunday and the elevators in the 14-story building hadn't worked in more than a year, health officials said.

Still, nearly a dozen families were living at the complex as of Wednesday morning, many hauling bottled water up several flights of stairs to keep the toilets flushed, they told Rinehart.

Health department officials said the complex's owners -- Southeastern Partners Inc. -- had pledged to remodel the buildings for more than two years, but never took any action.

"This was the management's responsibility. They created an environment that simply was uninhabitable," said health department spokesman John Althardt.

Some of the evicted tenants blamed the health department for waiting too long to take notice of the deteriorating conditions at the complex.

"They should have shut the building down a year ago like they said they would," said resident Nancy Halbert. "I'm not saying the building doesn't need to be closed, it's awful, it's nasty. But they could have gone about it better."

The remaining tenants were informed last week -- after they had already paid their August rent -- that they would have to move out by Wednesday.

Health department officials said they were trying to find housing for the displaced residents.