Cape 'fortress' tumbles

The brick apartment building at the northeast corner of Themis and North Ellis streets in Cape Girardeau had seen almost a century without serious mishap.

Built in 1911 by former railroad conductor D.A. Chapin, the parapet on the front of the structure still bore his name Tuesday morning. Things changed in a hurry.

Some time around 9:45 a.m., the parapet collapsed, taking out a bay window and a porch with it, and leaving the old apartment building structurally unsound.

Patricia Hunt, who lives across the street from the structure on Ellis Street, was one of the first to call 911 about the collapse, she said.

"It looked just like a big cloud of smoke," Hunt said. "And it shook everything like a mild earthquake."

No warning was given of the collapse, nor was anyone hurt when it happened. Three of the building's four apartments were unoccupied. Trey Wallhausen lived in the one occupied apartment for about 12 years.

Wallhausen arrived nearly two hours after the collapse when he was contacted at work. As rain started to come down -- and with it the possibility of further collapse -- firefighters escorted him inside to survey the damage and look for his two cats.

A street sign stuck out among the rubble on the side of the partially collapsed building on North Ellis Street Tuesday morning. (Diane L. Wilson)

He was visibly distressed at the situation, wondering if and when he'd be able to get access to his possessions, some of which were damaged. One of the cats was nowhere to be found.

"There were minor problems, but I didn't think the whole thing would collapse," Wallhausen said after coming out of his wrecked building.

The apartment is owned by Ann Morales, who lives out of state. Her first question on hearing about the collapse was whether there were any injuries. The property is managed locally by McClanahan Real Estate. The company had no comment.

"I'm just very glad nobody was hurt," said Morales.

Morales, who lived in Cape Girardeau for about nine years and has owned several apartment buildings here, said she's owned the Chapin building for about five years. During that time she said there was no warning of a structural problem.

"That building was really a fortress," Morales said. "I'd hate to see that building come down."

Three of the apartments in the building were empty because of extensive renovations, Morales said.

The Chapin Apartment building in 1915

Now the fate of the building will be determined by the city government and her insurance company.

The city has started condemnation proceedings on the structure.

Assistant fire chief Mark Hasheider said the owner will be responsible for making the building temporarily safe by reinforcing the structure or collapsing walls. Until then city streets around the building will be closed. At the end of condemnation proceedings the structure will most likely be demolished.

Hasheider said the whole structure has been compromised, with significant bowing of the walls. The structure is made of unreinforced masonry.

"This is not uncommon with this type of structure when it's not properly maintained," Hasheider said.

The exact reason of the collapse is unknown, but Hasheider said the roof appeared to have settled over the years, which probably contributed to Tuesday's incident.

Cape Girardeau has no regulations in place to inspect the structural integrity of buildings on a regular basis, only when they are constructed, if there is a complaint or if a structural problem is directly observed.

Most cities in Missouri have similar regulations, said the Missouri Municipal League. Structural inspections in both Columbia and Springfield follow the same regulations.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182