South Court Street in Medina is expected to reopen Wednesday afternoon after a large section of an historic building in Medina Square came crashing down Monday. Some downtown businesses were closed as the city tried to figure out if the building could be saved or if it must be torn down.
The building is home to the Gardener's Cottage, a home decor boutique located at 226 S. Court Street.
Tuesday afternoon, Medina's Chief Building official said engineers believe the load bearing walls on each side of the building are still in good shape and can support the building.
Gladish said that means it appears the 145 year old building can be saved.
According to officials, during the Medina Ice Festival Sunday night, the canopy fell off the back of the building.
Then, around 9 a.m. Monday, the back wall of the first floor fell off and started to crumble.
After that, the second and third-floor walls came loose. No injuries were reported
Crews shut down electricity and gas in the area. Electricity has since been restored for all buildings, expect 226 S. Court. Gas service is still turned off, but the gas company si in the process of creating a plan to restore service.
The fire chief said it appeared water was leaking out a back wall between the bricks for a long time and that may have resulted in rotting lumber and connectors, possibly contributing to the crumble.
Partial building collapse in Medina’s Square. 226 S. Court. No injuries reported. @WEWS pic.twitter.com/Yai3YU3sNh
— Bob Jones WEWS (@bobjonesTV) February 19, 2018
Built in 1873, the building was once an egg hatchery and then a dress shop. It has been owned by Carmen Greenberg as a unique boutique shop for about 20 years.
"It's a shame because she's been in business here on the square for so long and she's extremely upset and it's bad for the Square only in that it's a long-standing business," said Dan Hostetler, Executive Director of the Medina County Visitors Bureau.
