Iowa City Orders Demolition For Collapsed Apartment Building—Here’s What To Know About Davenport Collapse

Forbes Business Breaking Iowa City Orders Demolition For Collapsed Apartment Building—Here’s What To Know About Davenport Collapse Katherine Hamilton Forbes Staff I cover breaking news. Following May 29, 2023, 04:11pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline The city of Davenport, Iowa, has deemed the apartment complex that collapsed Sunday too structurally unsound to allow residents back inside, and plans to demolish the property on Tuesday, as questions about the cause of the disaster remain unanswered. Davenport officials announced Monday afternoon the partially collapsed apartment building will be .

. . [+] demolished.

Associated Press Key Facts The city served the property owner with a notice and order for demolition, which it intends to begin Tuesday morning, the city announced Monday afternoon after completing a search through the rubble from the collapse, which left at least one injured and no fatalities. Residents are not allowed to go back inside to collect their belongings in the “interest of public safety” because of the property’s “unstable condition,” Sarah Ott, the city’s chief strategy officer, said in a media release. A search and rescue mission, which was ongoing throughout Sunday night, was called off midday on Monday, NBC News reported , with Mayor Mike Matson saying “we haven’t identified anybody else” who may still be inside.

Fire crews escorted 12 people out of the building after the collapse, and search and rescue teams found seven people with minor injuries—an eighth person was hospitalized for injuries, according to NBC. Key Background At around 5 p. m.

on Sunday, the back part of the apartment complex separated from the rest of the building and collapsed. Authorities found a gas leak after the collapse, as well as water leaking through the floors of the structure, the Associated Press reported . Davenport is a small eastern Iowa city with about 100,000 residents , located across the Mississippi River from Illinois.

The property, known as the Davenport, is an 80-unit apartment complex with ground-floor retail. Located at 324 Main St. , the historic building was sold to an entity registered to Andrew Wold in June 2021 for $4 million, according to public records .

Wold, who owns several properties in Davenport and surrounding towns, could not be reached for comment. What We Don’t Know The cause of the collapse remains unknown, but residents have told media outlets they had a litany of complaints about the property, which was constructed in 1906, according to public records. Work was being done on the building’s exterior at the time of the collapse and there were reports of bricks falling off the complex earlier this week, Rich Oswald, Davenport’s director of development, said during a Sunday news conference.

Tenants told the Associated Press they experienced frequent issues with plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and could rarely reach property management. Water damage was also apparent in the building, Jennifer Smith, an owner of one of the ground-floor businesses told the Des Moines Register. Public records show nearly 30 permits for renovations, mainly for plumbing and electricity, filed since Wold purchased the property in the summer of 2021.

Further Reading Search for survivors completed, partially collapsed Davenport building to be demolished (Des Moines Register) No fatalities reported in Iowa as officials plan to demolish partially collapsed building (Associated Press) Wold carves real estate, construction niche (Quad-City Times) Iowa apartment collapse: Authorities call off rescue efforts, building to be demolished (NBC News) Send me a secure tip . Katherine Hamilton Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.