Just over a year after the Laramie Vision Clinic burned down next door, the Hart’s Alley building at 404 S. Second St. partially collapsed at approximately 6 a.m. on Sunday.
There were no injuries in the collapse, but Sean Hart, the owner of Hart’s Alley, claims the company rebuilding the burned down building, Reiman Corp., is to blame for the collapse, as evidenced by large cracks in the shared wall between the construction site and Hart’s Alley he noticed last week.
“I don’t think it was a little birdie that flew through the wall,” Hart said. “It is apparent to me that the company had a backhoe or some other heavy machinery digging into the foundation. The rear door could no longer be opened as the rear wall had shifted and jammed it shut.”
Hart had just completed renovating his building last week from damages received during the fire at the Laramie Vision Clinic and had started showing the building to potential lessees.
“This past week, a new roof was put in, and I had a few people interested in signing a lease,” Hart said.
Trey Sherwood, with the Laramie Main Street Alliance, said there will likely be no long-term business effects downtown, but there will be short-term effects due to the closure of multiple business on the block near Hart’s Alley.
“The businesses on the block cannot be opened until a structural engineer can take a look at the buildings,” Sherwood said.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, there are three businesses entirely closed: Undercover Bed and Spa, Prairie Rose and Hero Depot, according to a press release from the Laramie Main Street Alliance. Five other businesses on Second Street are only accessible from either a side or a back door: Dodds Shoe Co, Sears, The Library, Elite Medical and SRI.
The cause of the collapse has not been determined yet, Sherwood said; however, he added a few possibilities are being looked into.
“It is too early to tell if the fire last year was related at all,” Sherwood said. “It could have also been reverberation from the train tracks, or possibly rain. Currently trains going through town must slow down as a precaution until an inspection can be completed.”
Rather than looking at it alone, Hart said the city engineering department should inspect the building with him so he can accurately present the damages.
“I asked them to come meet me, and they said they came to look at it without me, and saw the building permit and said there was no problem,” Hart said. “This could have possibly been prevented if only the city engineering department had taken the time to look at the problem and had worked with me to see just how extensive the wall was being damaged.”
David Derragon, Laramie assistant city manager, said the city is in an information gathering stage, and has yet to determine the cause of the collapse.
“The fire marshall and the building official with community development are gathering information to determine a course of action,” Derragon said.
Reiman Corp. declined to comment on the collapse until the investigation is completed.
