East Main closed

Closed: Engineer says wall, roof, front must all be repaired

  • Deaf Man Vinyl, Jumping Mouse Beads, and Live Edge Exotic Wood are all closed because of the wall collapse at Jumping Mouse Beads.
    Deaf Man Vinyl, Jumping Mouse Beads, and Live Edge Exotic Wood are all closed because of the wall collapse at Jumping Mouse Beads.
  • Blue Ridge City Councilman Jack Taylor, right, makes a point with Fannin County Building Inspector Keith Nicholson, left, and engineer Nathan Heinlein over the hazardous condition of the building at 781 East Main Street.
    Blue Ridge City Councilman Jack Taylor, right, makes a point with Fannin County Building Inspector Keith Nicholson, left, and engineer Nathan Heinlein over the hazardous condition of the building at 781 East Main Street.
  • Debris from a partially collapsed wall at 781 East Main Street filled the alley between it and the building next door.
    Debris from a partially collapsed wall at 781 East Main Street filled the alley between it and the building next door.

    East Main Street between Church and Depot streets is closed to all but pedestrian traffic as Blue Ridge officials, “Do what we have to do to keep everybody safe,” City Councilman Jack Taylor said.

    Taylor was on the scene Friday morning coordinating with numerous city and county officials as to the best solution to protect the public after part of an exterior wall fell from the building housing Jumping Mouse Beads at 781 East Main Street.

    Fannin County Building Inspector Keith Nicholson had issued a statement calling the condition hazardous warning an engineer’s report “may” determine the building should be condemned.

    Besides the partially collapsed wall, Nicholson noted “Some of the existing rafters have dropped about 12 inches (and are) totally unsupported.”

    Because parts of the area were open and exposed to weather, Nicholson also warned the wall and roof were both in danger of collapse.

    In a Thursday email, Taylor advised other city officials he had instructed East Main Street be closed from Church Street to Depot Street at the recommendation of Nicholson, Fannin County Fire Chief Larry Thomas and Police Chief Rob Stuart.

    Friday morning, Nicholson. Taylor and numerous other officials met an engineer from the building owner’s insurance company.

    Originally, city officials had hoped to keep the street open. Large concrete barricades were already in place to allow for vehicle traffic and pedestrian lanes were being designed before the engineer arrived. However, after Nathan Heinlein, a senior engineer with JS Held,  evaluated the building and adjoining structures, that plan went away and more extensive safety measures were put in place.

    It was determined the roof is off its supports and the front wall is also disconnected from what holds it in place. However, there is no evidence of any damage to the floor.

    Heinlein said the side wall must be demolished halfway back along the building to where its fine, the front face of the building and the roof must come off and all must be rebuilt.

    “By code, a hazardous condition exists,” Heinlein said.

    Police Chief Rob Stuart agreed with statements by Taylor, saying, “You’ve got to err on the side of caution.”

    Besides Taylor, Nicholson and Stuart, evaluating the situation were City Clerk Joe Patterson, county Fire Chief Larry Thomas, and county Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick Cooke.

    The building is known to be one of the oldest in Blue Ridge, with one historian placing its construction in 1875. Nicholson’s report listed the building’s owner as Leghorn, LLC.

    Nicholson put the age in perspective, saying, “That’s only ten years after the Civil War.”