Large Piece Of Limestone Decoration Falls From Huntington Courthouse
Huntington county commissioners will launch an investigation into what caused a 600 pound piece of limestone to fall from the west end of the courthouse on Jefferson Street early Sunday morning.
According to police reports, delivery drivers for the Herald Press were nearby and heard a loud crashing noise, causing them to call 911. Tom Wall, county commissioner, received a phone call at approximately 4 a.m. April 5 from the head of security for the building regarding the incident.
Wall contacted DLZ Engineering out of Indianapolis, as the company had been working with Huntington county for the past four months assessing the courthouse for renovations. Wall stated that engineers had already assessed the west end of the building and did not report any problematic findings.
The county commissioners discussed the issue at their regular meeting Monday evening. It is unknown what the cause for the collapse might be, but Wall speculated it could be a number of factors such as bad winter weather, construction going on in the downtown area, putty on the walls weakening and more.
Luckily no one was hurt when the piece came down, as it’s estimated about 30,000 people used the Jefferson Street entrance to the courthouse last year. Visitors entering the courthouse will now need to use the Warren Street entrance until repairs are made, which Wall said may be in about four weeks.
Source: WANE