Demolition starts on top of fire-damaged Argyle building

By JOY BROWN

STAFF WRITER

Crews from Alvada Construction Co. began work Saturday night to demolish most of the fire-damaged fourth floor of the Argyle apartment building in downtown Findlay.

Removing all but four feet of the walls on the fourth floor, where the fire was most heavily concentrated, is expected to make the building more stable. Cranes will be used to do the work, which could be completed by Monday morning if crews work around the clock and encounter no further problems, city officials told affected business owners at a meeting Saturday.

"Like anything else, when you start to tear apart a building, even the best laid plans can hit a snag," said Fire Chief Tom Lonyo.

A structural engineer hired by the city determined Friday that bracing work that had been completed wasn't sufficient to keep walls stable. He recommended fourth floor demolition, where the walls are not connected to anything else. Below, "everything is still tied together" and structurally sound, said Service-Safety Director Paul Schmelzer.

As soon as demolition has made the building safe, fire investigators will enter and try to determine a cause, and perform one more canvass to make sure no one is trapped in the wreckage.

Lonyo said the biggest problem spot is the building's southeast corner, which is bowing inward. The north wall is pushing out, he said.

Structural integrity has been compromised not just by the blaze, which caused the roof to cave in, but by high wind and the large amount of water used to fight Thursday's fire. The water has been expanding and contracting as it freezes and thaws.

"For the businesses under the Argyle (apartments), you can expect the worst" in terms of damage, Lonyo said Saturday. "Over four million gallons of water were poured into that building and it all ran down."

"Every day it (the structure) gets worse. As of (Friday) the building had moved again," Lonyo said.

"This is a moving target," said Findlay Fire Investigator Eric Habegger. "We don't know what types of problems we're going to get into. What you're hearing today may change in three hours."

Main Street, from Sandusky to Lincoln streets, continues to be closed.

But some businesses on that part of Main Street remain open, despite being within a barricaded area.

They include: Bryant Shoes; Glass City Window and Door; the Heck Professional Building, which includes Jerry Payne Agency, Patti Baumgartner-Novak, Damon D. Alt, Bolotin Law, Charles Boyk, and AFLAC; the Arts Partnership; Ambrosia Tanning; Guitar Ranch; Dress for Less; Romans; Core Fitness; Northwestern Mutual; Central Marathon (accessible from East Lincoln Street); RCM Architects and Engineers; Ameriprise Financial; Elks Club; Trends on Main; Property Analysts; Main Street Deli; Massage Professionals of Ohio; the Blackford Building, which includes Moyer Financial Services, Bosse Financial Services, CBC Companies, Noggle Law, TFC Architects, Lisa Miller Law, and Golden Feather Photographic Art; Scrambler Marie's; Hancock County Probation Office; Eastman & Smith Law; and Chase Bank.

Apartments above these stores and offices also remain open, according to the Findlay Fire Department.

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Demolition starts on top of fire-damaged Argyle building