Gaps grows bigger on partially collapsed downtown building

More of the brick wall of the third floor of the building located at Madison and High streets fell to the ground Monday morning.
More of the brick wall of the third floor of the building located at Madison and High streets fell to the ground Monday morning.

The gap of the already collapsed building wall at the intersection of East High and Madison streets in Jefferson City grew wider Monday morning as another section of the wall came crumbling down.

A section above the gaping hole at 200 E. High St. fell late Monday morning. The wall is enclosed by a barrier to keep the public away from the collapsing building and to divert traffic.

When the wall facing Madison Street partially collapsed in June, the masonry bridged itself near the top of the building above the two windows, Jefferson City Building Inspector Brian Allen said.

"Where the masonry has now come out, the masonry bridged itself there originally so we knew from the very beginning that it was inevitable, that it would be coming out at that point because that's where it had cracked to," he said. "So it's doing exactly what everybody expected it to."

Building owner Andrew Neidert plans to demolish the building at 200 E. High St. He currently is working out details of the project with the property owners of 202 and 204 E. High St., which share walls with 200 E. High St., Jefferson City Building Official Larry Burkhardt said previously.

Allen said he is unsure when demolition on 200 E. High St. will begin.

Neidert did not return the News Tribune's call for comment Monday.

Since the city deemed the structure dangerous after the wall partially collapsed, the building bypassed the Jefferson City Historic Preservation Commission's demolition clearance process, Jefferson City Neighborhood Services Manager Jayme Abbott said last month.

If Neidert had not pursued demolition, the city "would have eventually abated the nuisance by demolition," Burkhardt said in a memorandum last month.

The partial collapse in June was due to water washing out the mortar that held the bricks together, Burkhardt said.

After Neidert Properties renovated the third floor of the building in 2013, building inspectors filed an incomplete report, according to the report obtained by the News Tribune. While the report states building inspectors approved the building's electrical and plumbing systems, three other sections - including site inspection - were listed as pending. Burkhardt said previously that the building may have been inspected properly but, due to short staffing, the report may have been entered incorrectly.

The building used to house law firms Berry Wilson LLC and Turnbull & Stark LLC.