Sidewalk collapsing into vault on 8th Street
Many of the buildings downtown have vaults under the public sidewalks. These are spaces that extend the basement past the exterior wall to fill the space under the sidewalks, but the sidewalk can show signs of stress.
Such is the case of the sidewalk on the west side of 8th Street between Olive and Chestnut Pine, adjacent to the vacant Arcade Building.. The sidewalk has reached a point where it needs to be addressed so that it doesn’t collapse as someone walks across it.
– Steve Patterson
See http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/cco/code/data/t2026.htm, 20.26.010 Repairs–Notice to owner. It's pretty clear what needs to happen.
Again, the courts have repeatedly indicated the public right of way is the responsibility of the city, not the adjacent property owner.
Having spent about two years of my professional life inside the Arcade I am intimately familiar with the state of the structure that is supporting that sidewalk. Surprisingly, it hasn't collapsed under it's own weight. As many know, there are vaults under the sidewalks of many of the buildings downtown. The Arcade's basement (like many) extends into this vault. What is uniquely interesting is that on that very side it is cut off at an angle by the railroad tunnel that was converted for the current Metrolink tunnel and is visible in the basement. When we placed the buckhoist (construction elevator) on the sidewalk we coordinated with Metro and our structural engineer to ensure no damaging loads would be transmitted to the tunnel since a good portion of the temporary foundation needed to be placed right on top of it. In the schedule of work the sidewalk repair was at the top of the list given its condition. Unfortunately, with the demise of Pyramid and the future of redevelopment up in the air I don't see anything happening soon. You can try to get the city to enforce the code but I see that as unlikely. What I do want to stress, though, is the building itself, despite decades of neglect and some cosmetic issues, is structurally in EXCELLENT condition.
Do you think any of Al Capone's treasure might be down there?
No,but I did hear that Jimmy Hoffa is buried down there!
Somebody get Geraldo Rivera on the phone…
The city has a LEGAL responsibility to make sure that the right-of-way is maintained in a safe condition for its citizens. How it's paid for, the FIDUCIARY part, is a separate issue. If the city chooses to allow a private entity (the adjacent building) to use the public right-of-way for private purposes, the city may impose any conditions that it sees fit for the use of the public asset, including requiring the owner pay for maintenance. Yes, the city could also choose to assume full financial responsibility, but apparently, and logically, chooses NOT to (referenced ordinance). Requiring the private entity to maintain the public sidewalk over its private vault seems reasonable, especially if the alternative is expecting the rest of us to pay for all this aging infrastructure, as it continues to fail. If the owner doesn't like these conditions, they're certainly free to return the sidewalk to the city in its original, non-voided and collapsing, condition . . .
The city owns the Arcade Building. I suppose they could sue themselves. 🙂
They can certainly put a lien on the property, to recover the costs whenever the building changes hands. In the meantime, they won't have any trouble identifying the owner.