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Historic Main Oak Building collapses

Officials remain on the scene this morning in downtown Mount Airy investigating the collapse of the Main Oak Building.

There were no injuries in the incident, which occurred during the overnight hours this morning, but both Main Street and Oak Streets were closed this morning. Traffic was being diverted onto side streets; several sections of sidewalk along have been cordoned off.

Surry County Emergency Management Director Eric Southern reported that the Mount Airy Fire Department rolled on the call at 4:26 a.m. Tuesday. Emergency personnel received a report of bricks falling from the building located at 248 N. Main Street.

Mount Airy Fire Marshal Chris Fallaw said first responders on scene heard “weird noises, creaking, and cracking.” These noises were only the pronouncements of what was soon to follow.

“While emergency personnel were on scene the building experienced a partial collapse involving the roof and Oak St side of the structure. Emergency personnel on scene quickly established a safety perimeter involving multiple businesses and streets in downtown,” he said.

Surry County Building Inspections and Mount Airy Code Enforcement were called to the scene to assist with scene evaluation. Southern said a drone was requested from emergency management to get some aerial footage for inspectors.

As Fallaw pointed out Tuesday afternoon, even though space is seen between the Main Oak Building and the Oak-Emporium building, “Everything on this block is considered one building.”

Steel beams connect the impacted building to its neighbors, so any movement of one means the rest will need to be looked at as well. To that end Moore and Associates Engineering Firm and Sasser Restoration Company along with city officials assessed the building to develop an action plan.

That plan, as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, is:

  • Temporary construction fencing put in place for a more secure perimeter
  • Remove power, gas & other utilities from affected buildings
  • Remove traffic signals & streetlights poles to allow for mitigation
  • Bring in heavy duty demolition crew for incident stabilization
  • Bring front free-standing facade down to a safe level
  • Shore up remaining structure for safety and mitigation from further collapse

The timing of the overnight collapse of the building was fortuitous, just twelve hours earlier could have yielded a vastly different result. As Tia Goins simply put it, “So thankful no one was injured, and this did not happen during the parade yesterday!”

“Friends, we are shocked and saddened by the partial collapse of the pivotal and historic Main Oak Building. Please stay away from the corner of Oak St. and Main St. today as the area is secured. Thank you for your understanding,” Mount Airy Downtown, Inc. said in a statement this morning.

Lizzie Morrison is the Main Street Coordinator for Mount Airy Downtown, Inc and found herself out of the area Tuesday when word of the collapse first broke. She said, “We are relieved to know there were no injuries reported and no loss of life occurred with the partial collapse of the Main Oak Building. We feel so fortunate that everyone is okay. At the same time, we are saddened by the sudden partial loss of a pivotal historic building in the Mount Airy National Register Historic District.”

“The Main Oak Building was built between 1905 and 1910 as the Midkiff Hardware Store,” she continued. “It is an invaluable and irreplaceable part of our history here in Mount Airy. The community and visitors alike will be mourning a monumental loss if the front facade cannot be saved. Preservation of our historic structures is of utmost importance to retaining the character, charm, and history of Mount Airy.”

The three-story structure, at the corner of Main and Oak Streets had changed hands last year, when long-time owner Burke Robertson sold the building to a Durham business known as Mt. Airy Once, LLC. At the time of the sale, Robertson said the new owners were planning to convert at least parts of the building into an AirBnB, supplying short-term rentals to tourists in town.

Two buildings next to one another that contain nearly 50,000 square feet between them were involved in the sale that took place in August. The Main Oak Building at the corner of North Main and East Oak streets is the building with the collapse in question today. At the corner of Oak and City Hall streets is and Main Oak Emporium building that houses The Loaded Goat.

Construction crews had been working on the Main-Oak building in recent days.

There were dozens of people on Main Street standing in small groups and looking at the building this morning as crews from Mount Airy Fire and the city were examining the building. A crew was seen examining the building’s exterior in the alleyway between the Main Oak Building and the building that homes The Loaded Goat; there was no damage visible to the latter structure.

Grant Welch was downtown early this morning, as is often the case, and he said at 3 a.m. it was all quiet on the Mayberry front. He said he heard nothing of the building collapse and only knew something was amiss upon hearing emergency scanner traffic. By the time he arrived at the building to take a look, fire engines “were all over the place.” He did not attempt to gain access to the scene saying it is best to allow emergency professionals space to operate.

Use caution when travelling around this site in downtown Mount Airy whether by car or on foot.

More information will be published as it becomes available.

Source


Source: https://www.mtairynews.com

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