Remember the building collapse in Mattoon this August? It’d be hard to forget… especially seeing the aftermath still on the corner of 19th St. and Western Ave.! That won’t be the case much longer, starting next Monday, cleanup of the building will begin with Curry Construction handling the work. To make this happen, crews are going to need some space.
The Mattoon Fire Department says the project will CLOSE Western Avenue between 19th and 20th Streets, to both eastbound and westbound traffic, along with the eastbound lane of Prairie Avenue. Part of the east side of Niemanns’ parking lot will be closed too. Work is expected to wrap-up within two weeks of Monday’s start date. The goal is to finish before the Downtown Mattoon Christmas Celebration and Parade on Friday, December 4th. (weather permitting)
Getting around the work zone is manageable. Prairie Avenue will stay open to westbound traffic, so you can still reach Niemanns and other local businesses, from 19th Street. Mattoon Fire Chief Jeff Hilligoss said the department “apologizes for the inconvenience,” but the safety of the community and the people doing the work comes first.
The demolition and removal of the recent collapse follows one of the more dramatic afternoons Mattoon has seen in a while, even with a Summer full of them really. Firefighters were dispatched to 19th and Western at 1:02 p.m. on August 20th, for a building collapse, though crews were already on scene before the call came in. The fire station sits right across the street, and firefighters heard/saw the building as it came down. The collapse mainly hit The Joint Smoke Shop, and neighboring Little Caesars took damage to the shared wall/part of its roof.
Everyone made it out safely. Crews searched the entire building to account for people in all surrounding businesses, and an employee of The Joint Smoke Shop later told fire officials they had heard the building making noises and had seen drywall falling and a window break, so they had already started evacuating. Surveillance video helped confirm no one was on the sidewalk, in the Little Caesars drive-through, or near the building when it came down.
The collapse also broke a gas line, and crews found a leak under the building’s southeast corner. Ameren shut off the gas, which meant digging up a valve in the street, and search operations inside the collapse area paused until the leak was cleared. Once it was, search teams brought in excavators and search cameras to carefully remove debris and confirm no one was trapped. A technical rescue team made up of specially trained members from Mattoon, Charleston, and other area departments responded as well, with specialized equipment coming from Charleston.
The City of Mattoon brought in a structural engineer to determine what caused the collapse and whether the building was safe for any remaining businesses to reopen. Mattoon Fire thanked: Coles/Moultrie 911, the Charleston Fire Department, Mattoon Police, Mattoon Public Works, city administration and staff, Ameren, Curry Construction, and 1st Class Wrecker Service, along with the community members and businesses who brought food and water to responders.
For questions about the cleanup, you can reach the Mattoon Fire Department at 217-234-2442 or fire@mattoonillinois.org.
