Crew Works to Stabilize St. Charles Building after Foundation Fails
The building was remodeled in 1988.
A construction crew is working to stabilize a downtown St. Charles building after a foundation wall that supported two internal columns failed Monday night.
The building, 117 W. Main St., was declared uninhabitable Monday and remains closed Tuesday, along with two connected buildings. The eastbound lane of Main Street is closed to traffic until the condition of the building is reevaluated.
A structural engineer is on the scene to work with a construction crew to shore up the building and prevent a potential collapse. The cause remains unknown.
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At about 8 p.m. Monday, a passerby called 911 to report water leaking from the front door of a business in the building, according to the St. Charles Fire Department. Minutes later, responding firefighters found a “major failure” of the foundation, which had caused a support beam to move 18 inches.
This settling caused the water pipe to burst and “significant structural damage” to the second floor and roof of the building, according to fire officials.
No one was reported injured after the foundation buckled.
Szechwan Restaurant, located on the second floor of the building, is closed. Two neighbors, Rx Café and the Steel Beam Theatre, also will remain closed Tuesday until the site can be evaluated.
“Until they secure that structure … those two businesses will remain closed,” said Bob Vann of the city’s Building and Code Enforcement Division.
The first floor of the building was vacant. The last tenant to occupy the space was reportedly a bank.
Buildings on that block date to the 1850s. The 117 W. Main St. building was remodeled in 1988.
Bonnie Schmidt
8:26 pm on Tuesday, August 9, 2011
I find it so difficult to respond to what has happened to this historic building. My daughter was to have her baby shower at the Szechwan on the the 28th of August. The owner is a dear friend of ours. She called me this morning asking me to forgive her for the problem. I was only concerned about her well-being and the hope that she will be able to survive the business that she established and worked so hard to become a success in our community. This restaurant was the first place we went to when we moved to St. Charles 18 years ago. We need to support the businesses that helped the St. Charles area become what it is today!
Nick Swedberg
8:47 pm on Tuesday, August 9, 2011
You are absolutely right, Bonnie! We should support St. Charles businesses. I spoke with the owner briefly that night but she was (understandably!) preoccupied. Could you let her know that I would like to talk with her again for a follow up story about Szechwan? My email is nicks@patch.com and my work number is 630-666-8863. Thanks!
Bonnie Schmidt
10:48 pm on Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Thank you so much for your concern Nick. The owner of the Szechwan is a extremely independent and hard working woman who has build her business with integrity and dedication to herself, her family and the community. The Szechwan is very much a part of St. Charles that needs to be supported during a time that businesses come and go like the daily newspaper. The history of St. Charles is being destroyed on almost a daily basis because of the economy and the attitude that almost everything is disposable. We need to start preserving what is OUR history and protecting it. I will send this on when it is appropriate. At this time, she is more concerned about the people that she has made commitments to and to trying to save everything that she has worked so hard to build. The owner of Szechwan is definitly a business owner that we need to keep in our hometown!.
Scott Dresmal
11:53 pm on Tuesday, August 9, 2011
I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I heard that when Mc Nally's was building they caused some sort of structural damage to a portion of that block. I'm positive I heard they caused cracking in the Steel Beam foundation. It may all have been rumor but I'm sure I heard this.