KC man barely missed being crushed by partial building collapse downtown
A Kansas City man narrowly avoided tragedy Tuesday, after moving his truck shortly before bricks tumbled into the street off the face of a historic downtown parking garage.
The parking garage, at 1219 Wyandotte St., was built in 1910, but has long been out of use, said Zach Molzer, founder and principal at Molzer Development and a Kansas City resident. His development company is in the process of transforming the Aladdin Hotel, which is on the same block as the garage, into apartments.
Molzer was parked in front of the building until 8 p.m., only minutes before the façade collapsed.
The Kansas City Fire Department responded to the scene at 8:27 p.m., said Battalion Chief Riley Nolan with the Kansas City Fire Department. He reported that parts of the brick and parapet had separated from the building and fallen onto the sidewalk and street.
No injuries were reported.
Following an inspection by city staff, they confirmed that the brick façade had partially fallen, but the structure remains sound, said Lanè Johnson, the public information officer for the Neighborhood Services Department.
“The remaining brick façade still needs to be addressed by the owner,” Johnson said.
The south and west sides of the building were closed off to keep pedestrians at a safe distance, said Nolan. The block was also closed off in both directions from 12th Street to 13th Street, and continues to be closed.
A drone was used to get aerial views of the structure and to conduct an interior search, which came back all clear, said Nolan.
“City officials are in the process of contacting the property owners to assess their plans for addressing the damage and ensuring the safety of the site,” said Johnson.
The property owner has wanted to demolish the building for a while, but due to processes within the city, it’s taken a while to make it happen, said Molzer. The building was not on Kansas City’s list of dangerous buildings, last updated July 10.
With this partial collapse, Molzer hopes that the process moves along quicker for the safety of the neighborhood.
“For the past year, it’s looked like it’s about to fall down,” he said.
There used to be unhoused individuals who would shelter inside the garage until the property owners secured the building, he said.
“It’s a good piece of property. I would love to do something with it,” Molzer said.
He has already drawn up renderings laying outpossibilities for the space, he said.
To ensure public safety, the city will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate action, in accordance with local building codes and ordinances, said Johnson.
