The building at 220 E. High St. in downtown Jefferson City is structurally safe for passersby, according to city officials, despite most of its front facade falling off over the weekend.
A cement-plaster facade covering about 1½ stories of original red-brick wall on the building that most recently housed Leed's Shoe Company toppled into the street Saturday afternoon, causing one minor injury. A subsequent building inspection determined the cause of the accident was non-structural and that a repeat occurrence is unlikely.
The problem arose when the contractor renovating the building removed the original windows framed on the inside, hidden underneath the facade. Because the back of the building was opened for construction purposes, wind was able to pick up behind the facade.
"The cement plaster was more a decoration. The way it was attached, though, it wasn't really designed to take, say, something blowing at it from behind it," said Larry Burkhart, Jefferson City building official. "When they took the windows out that left the plaster exposed, it basically blew out."
A portion of the cement-plaster facade remains in place at the very top of the building, but with no covered windows behind it, it should remain in place until the contractor removes it, he said.
"There's not going to be enough wind force to be able to blow off that," he said.
The sidewalk in front of the building currently is blocked off.
While the ongoing renovation seeks to restore the building's deteriorated interior structural soundness, a city-commissioned report last fall determined the structure is not a safety hazard from the outside.
"They're trying to stabilize the interior structure so it doesn't collapse. ... The floors would collapse onto themselves if it was neglected much longer," Burkhart said, noting the contractor currently is replacing wooden floor supports. "The outside of the building is very much stable."
The property is owned by a company called 220 East High Street LLC, which formed in December, according to the Missouri Secretary of State's website.
No plans for the building's future use have been announced.
Other planned renovations include replacing the roof and removing additional cement-plaster facade on the building's east side, as it is also poorly attached, Burkhart said.