Cause of historic downtown LaPorte building collapse determined

A demolition crew member uses water to keep down the dust where work is still occurring to shore up a partially collapsed building in downtown LaPorte.

LAPORTE — Experts have identified what they believe caused a vacant three-story building in downtown LaPorte to partially collapse.

Structural changes sometime in the early 1900s is blamed for the front one-third of the building coming down on the night of Oct. 26.

Originally, LaPorte City Engineer Nick Minich said, the roughly 150-year-old structure in the 700 block of Lincolnway was three separate buildings. Minich said the first floor of each building was later joined together by tearing down weight-bearing brick walls. The walls helping to support the structure were replaced with steel columns and beams.

Previously:Investigators trying to determine why historic downtown LaPorte building collapsed

The end result was more floor space for Lows, a popular clothing store until closing roughly 40 years ago.

Minich said the work was solid but changed how the weight of the building was distributed from the original design.

He said the weight load shifted a bit more toward the front, leaving that section more prone to not holding up over time.

“That caused the structural deficiency that eventually became a failure,” he said.

Minich said what exactly broke or shifted to cause the collapse was not known, but the usual affects from age likely added to the weight-related stress on that portion the building.

“It’s almost impossible to determine what the failure was, but we do know it’s related to the renovations that happened many years ago,” he said.

The building was being remodeled to offer retail on the first floor and apartments on the upper levels, officials said.

Minich said the current work was strictly cosmetic and not a factor in the collapse.

Fortunately, nobody was inside or passing by the structure during the collapse, which sent a good number of bricks into the eastbound and westbound lanes of the street.

In response, city officials are in the process of developing a program aimed at preventing another collapse.

Mayor Tom Dermody said it’s too early to know the mechanics but grants and other sources of revenue could be involved. He said the money would help property-owners pay to have their buildings inspected and fix any major problems.

Story continues

The downtown consists primarily of structures built well over a century ago.

Minich said, however, he’s not aware of any other building joined together like the one that partially collapsed.

“We’re looking at trying to create something, kind of a voluntary program to help people have peace of mind,” Minich said.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Historic downtown LaPorte building collapse’s cause determined