HOUSTON (DDN) – One person was hurt in a construction accident at what looks to be a newly certified historic site in downtown Houston.
It occurred in the Battelstein’s building on Main Street, near Rusk Street. Officials with the Houston Fire Department said the original call came in at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday.
HFD spokeswoman Brent Taylor stated that the initial call was for a high-rise incident, but when first responders arrived, a supervisor informed them that people could be trapped. That’s when the call was changed to a rescue call.
Firefighters investigated all 10 floors and discovered one worker injured in an elevator outside the building. Taylor stated that the worker was coming down when a chunk of concrete dropped from the ninth story and landed on the elevator box.
Taylor stated that the worker in the elevator was stable when he was sent to an area hospital. METRORail service was likely to be disrupted for a time as crews worked to ensure the site was safe.
A witness reported that she was eating lunch nearby when she heard what sounded like an explosion. That’s when she noticed construction workers in the vicinity moving swiftly.
She reported seeing a dented crane and debris from collapsed scaffolding. She stated she heard a chunk of concrete fall on the crane, which then toppled on the scaffolding.
“It looked like the crane was dented and the scaffolding had collapsed onto the sidewalk,” Samantha Jarvis told me.
Another witness stated that she heard two groups were working at the location, with at least one worker from one of them missing. She also stated that she overheard something about a concrete block falling and striking the crane.
In December, the Houston City Council recommended five buildings for historic classification.
Among them was 806 Main St., the site of Tuesday’s construction incident.
When completed in 1924, the edifice was two stories tall. It had grown to ten floors by 1950. It served as a high-end department store from 1924 to the 1980s. It represents Houston’s post-World War II architecture. It is owned by SWVP JW Houston, LLC, which intends to turn it into a hotel.
Reference: Worker injured in construction incident at historic landmark in downtown
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