Early this year, the City of Dallas sent contractors to an apartment building once lived in by presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald to tear the dilapidated structure down. City-organized wrecking crews first order of business was dealing with asbestos that needed to be contained before the walls could come down, according to a January 2013 article in the Dallas Evening News.
“Oswald, who fired the shots that killed President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, lived with his wife Marina in Apt. No. 2 at 600 Elsbeth St. in the north Oak Cliff neighborhood from November 1962 until March 1963″, according to the Dallas Morning News.
For months, the newspaper said, the city had been trying to get property owner Jane Bryant to tear the place down because it was falling apart and was thought to be a threat to public safety. The Morning News wrote about how Bryant had been trying to capitalize on the building’s link to infamy. “Many pieces such as the bathtub, toilet and medicine cabinet from the Oswald’s Apartment No. 2 have been sold and hauled away,” the paper reported.
Asbestos abatement is performed commonly in older homes, apartments and historic structures. Asbestos abatement performed under strict conditions by a skilled contractor can be quite effective, thereby removing the health hazards associated with asbestos exposure, such as asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer.