×

Piece of Warden parapet fell to street

Part of the westbound lane of First Avenue South near Ninth Street will remain closed until the loose stone remaining along the roofline can be safely removed. Part of the sidewalk also remains closed.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Some of the material that fell from the Warden Plaza Tuesday night remains in place atop the historic building Wednesday. One westbound lane along First Avenue South remained closed Wednesday. It is not known how soon a repair will be made to the structure.

A section of First Avenue South next to the Warden Plaza in downtown Fort Dodge remained closed Wednesday after a chunk of the building’s parapet fell Tuesday night.

No one was hurt when the piece of masonry came down at around 9 p.m. Tuesday.

No vehicles were hit.

City Manager David Fierke reported that part of the westbound lane of First Avenue South near Ninth Street will remain closed until the loose stone remaining along the roofline can be safely removed.

Part of the sidewalk also remains closed.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Barricades remain in place in front of the First Avenue South side of the Warden Plaza Wednesday morning after a piece of the structure fell onto the sidewalk Tuesday night. Fort Dodge Police had closed the block off completely Tuesday night.

The schedule for doing the needed work hasn’t been announced.

A parapet is a low wall along the edge of a building’s roof.

The piece of parapet that fell came from the southwest corner of the building at 908 First Ave. S.

Fort Dodge police were notified of the problem at about 9 p.m. Tuesday. Responding officers found pieces of stone in the street.

First Avenue South between Ninth and 10th streets was closed overnight. On Wednesday morning, most of the street, except part of the westbound lane, was reopened to traffic.

The partial street closure isn’t the only inconvenience created recently by deterioration of the Warden Plaza, which has been vacant for about a decade.

Last month, a section of sidewalk on Ninth Street between Central Avenue and First Avenue South was closed because an underground vault is crumbling. That sidewalk section is now surrounded by chain link fence.

The Warden Plaza is the subject of an ambitious renovation plan by KDG LLC, of Columbia, Missouri. That firm plans to create retail space on the first two floors and about 100 apartments on the upper floors. The project is estimated to cost $35 million.

The Warden Plaza renovation plan is part of a planned transformation of the north side of First Avenue South between Ninth and 12th streets that includes a parking ramp called an intermodal hub and a new cultural and recreation center.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today