Residents of a Muscatine apartment building have been evacuated and the building’s owner is waiting for a structural engineer’s report before deciding whether to repair or demolish the building.
According to KWQC TV, managers of the Welch Hotel Apartment building in Muscatine noticed cracks in the building. City officials say a structural engineer has determined some walls are bulging and floors are pulling away from the walls. Seventeen residents were evaculated late last week and have been living temporarily in a local hotel, at the property owner’s expense.
The apartment building’s owner also has agreed to pay to have their belongings eventually moved to their new permanent residences. However, a City of Muscatine news release indicates movers will have to wait for a contractor to stabilize the building before they’re allowed inside.
The Welch Hotel Apartments are an affordable housing complex for adults who are at least 55 years old. The building is in downtown Muscatine and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.