Third Street building repairs continue
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
3-23-17 Third Street building Workers from Bombara Masonry have begun making exterior repairs to a downtown building evacuated early last November after a stucco- and cinderblock-layered brick wall began to bow out toward Buchanan Street. According to municipal Code Enforcement Officer Jim Wiederholt, work to restore a basement wall and floor joists is complete, which has allowed crews to start replacing a damaged portion of the west-facing outside wall measuring 10 feet tall and nearly 50 feet long.
Work by a crew from Bombara Masonry of Maryville is continuing on a badly degraded wall that caused city officials to evacuate and tag an aging downtown building as unsafe late last year.
Municipal Code Enforcement Officer Jim Wiederholt said Wednesday that after nearly five weeks of engineering and reconstruction efforts, workers have completed shoring up a basement wall and first-floor joists and are now working to replace the damaged exterior wall itself.
Located on the southeast corner of Third and Buchanan streets, the building, thought to be around 100 years old, was tagged Nov. 2 after the south wall was observed bowing out dangerously toward Buchanan.
Before it was evacuated, the two-story structure contained a dance studio and three upper-story apartments.
In addition to declaring the structure unsafe, the city has also blocked Buchanan between Second and Third streets until the wall can be rendered structurally sound.
Now that exterior work has begun, Wiederholt said a large section of brick wall, which had been overlaid over the years with cinderblocks and stucco, is in the process of being replaced.
Plans call for rebuilding a section of wall measuring 10 feet high and at least 48 feet long north to south.
If additional structural problems are encountered, Wiederholt said, the reconstruction could grow in scope.
As the wall is replaced, workers are using temporary “needle beams” to support the second story as the masonry below is removed and re-bricked section by section.
Originally the city had hoped construction would be complete in fairly short order. But Wiederholt said “unforeseen conditions” requiring additional engineering consultations have pushed the timeline back.
Wiederholt declined to set a date for when the work is to be complete, but said crews will likely finish up early this spring.
In addition to the needle beams being used to support the upper story as masonry on the lower level is replaced, wooden beams anchored to the street with rebar stakes have been set in place to stabilize the wall and prevent further movement.
The building, located at 124 W. Third St., stands at the west end of one of the city’s oldest blocks in terms of architecture. It was evacuated and tagged after city officials responded to a call from a “concerned citizen,” who reported that the wall appeared unstable.
Like other structures in downtown Maryville erected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Third Street building is constructed of unreinforced masonry, meaning it was built — as once was common practice — using brick unsupported by a grid of metal bars or some other strengthening framework.
