Fate of Building Unknown
The building in downtown Calgary with a crumbling wall is still being monitored and is barricaded
Kaity Brown, Publishing Editor
The building on 608 Seventh Street S.W. in downtown Calgary is still slowly crumbling brick by brick as officials have barricaded the area and are still investigating the cause of the crumbling and the next steps.
The area in which no one was injured but where some vehicles had to be abandoned, is closed off by cement barricade walls erected last week when the wall started bulging and crumbling. The barricades will protect passers-by, according to officials.
“The city’s investigation at this point has identified that brick veneer on the third and fourth floors is not being laterally supported, and is causing the bowing and an unsafe condition to exist,” said acting chief building official Wayne Brown.
Unfortunately a number of vehicles have remained within the barricade and have received a substantive amount of damage within the cement walls.
Crews and officials are still examining the large hole that is growing in an attempt to pin-point causes as well as to find the next appropriate solution.
The building started to crumble on Tuesday May 20, when people noticed the building oddly bulging out. People were evacuated from the building that day and area was blocked off.
From that point, severe traffic jams ensued as multiple roads were closed and bus routes were forced to detour.
Fire department returned to the scene on the following Sunday to examine the damage and found a number of bricks had fallen.
The City of Calgary has stated that a controlled demolition is likely to take place in order to bring the wall down safely. The building will not be compromised, according to officials, because the wall is not crucial to the structural integrity of the building.
The roadways have been opened but surrounding bike and walking paths are still closed and pedestrians are advised to stay clear of the area.
The cause of the crumbling is still being investigated.
