Partial building collapse in French Quarter

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Partial building collapse in French Quarter; no injuries reported

Jonathan Bullington, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2014/10/balcony_collapse_in_french_qua.html

October 21, 2014

New Orleans authorities are trying to determine the cause of a French Quarter building collapse that left a pile of rubble on Royal Street late Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 21).

No one was inside 808 Royal St. when the building collapsed, and no injuries were reported, said New Orleans Fire Department spokesman Capt. Edwin Holmes.

"Considering the time of day ... and on Royal Street, it's very fortunate that no one was hurt," Holmes said. The building's tenants were not home at the time of the collapse, and there was no construction taking place, he said.

The smell of gas permeated the air as a huge crowd of onlookers feverishly snapped cell phone pictures of the giant pile of rubble strewn across Royal Street. Emergency crews worked to stabilize the building while utility crews shut off electricity, gas and water to the building.

French Quarter resident Les Evenchick said he had just left a friend's business nearby and decided to cross to the shaded side of Royal Street when he heard a sound and looked up at the building.

"I saw this big chunk of wall separated and looked like it was going to fall," said Evenchick, 73. "Then things just seemed to fall down and everything below got crushed."

Evenchick said a large cloud of dust engulfed the block. He said he "vaguely remembered" seeing two men walking under the building's balcony at the time, and someone on the scene told him those two men managed to jump out of the way.

"I could have been right underneath it," he said from outside his home in the French Quarter. "It's probably a good idea to walk on the shady side of the street."

While the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, Holmes noted that like many buildings in the French Quarter, age is possibly an issue.

 

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Cause of Royal Street building collapse likely to remain a mystery

BY DANNY MONTEVERDE

New Orleans AdvocateOctober 29, 2014

http://www.sunherald.com/2014/10/29/5883880/cause-of-royal-street-building.html

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2014/10/29/5883880/cause-of-royal-street-building.html#storylink=cpy

week after a 200-year-old building on Royal Street came crashing to the ground, the director of the Vieux Carre Commission said Tuesday what led to the collapse likely will remain a mystery.

Lary Hesdorffer said several factors probably contributed to the collapse of 808-810 Royal St., including termites, wood rot, poor mortar, water intrusion and old, soft bricks.

"I don't think there's a way of forensically saying absolutely what was the cause," he said at the end of Tuesday's VCC Architectural Committee meeting. "If one thing gives, a domino effect occurs."

A older building

People who lived next to the building, constructed circa 1801, said it showed obvious signs of neglect, and the commission cited it in 2011 for "demolition by neglect."

The city can penalize owners for exterior defects, but it cannot go into private residences to inspect them.

A portion of the three-story building's façade and a balcony fell on the afternoon of Oct. 21. City crews and the New Orleans Fire Department arrived and tried to stabilize the building.

Early the next afternoon, though, the remainder of the façade gave way and fell to the street below, tugging the pitched roof down with it.

At that point, the city decided the only option was a total demolition.

Work to remove the debris continued Tuesday.

As fast as they can

City Hall spokesman Hayne Rainey said there was no immediate timeline for when that process would be finished but that it was being done as quickly as possible.

One reason it has taken longer than first expected is the trucks hauling away the remnants of the building are not being loaded as full as they might at other work sites.

That is being done in an attempt to limit vibrations from the trucks that might damage other structures, Hesdorffer said.

"That's actually an additional reason so much care is being placed on the debris removal, so that the trucks move slowly when they're heavily loaded," he said.

The building is owned by Elaine Petrie, according to neighbors and to Orleans Parish Assessor's Office records. Attempts to contact her have been unsuccessful.

Rainey said Petrie will be responsible for repaying the city for expenses associated with the demolition and cleanup. A cost has not yet been calculated, he said.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2014/10/29/5883880/cause-of-royal-street-building.html#storylink=cpy