Traverse City -
Honor Bank announced a new four-story bank office building at
415 E Front Street in 2019 (use the google maps timeline to see before & after demo). The new project required demolishing an existing building and rebuilding a seawall along the Boardman River. The bank planned to occupy the top floor, with other leased offices on floors two and three, and retail on the ground floor. It was all scheduled to be complete in October 2020.
Here is a rendering from Fall 2019. Note that the materials are not shown accurately, just massing. The architect clarified that it will be mostly masonry.
Source:
Traverse City Record-Eagle | Courtesy Whiteford Associates
Of course, 2020, had different plans for this project. And I'm not talking about COVID. On Tuesday morning, May 19, 2020, the eastern section of the under-construction building suffered a
significant collapse. Four workers were injured - one of them seriously. Two of the four were partially buried in debris. The scene was evacuated and all four were quickly transported to Munson Medical Center. Immediately prior to the collapse, eyewitnesses reported seeing the masonry wall noticeably leaning. There were some fears afterward that the partially-damaged central elevator shaft might also collapse.
There was rainfall and wind gusts the week prior, though it is unclear if that had any impact. The General Contractor - REI - initially
expressed bewilderment, believing the wall was properly braced.
Quote:
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“We don’t know what happened,” said David Moore, site manager and partner at general contractor REI Construction Consultants of Traverse City. “It was braced on the ends and everything...” Nothing like this has ever before happened throughout his career, Moore said. “They were working right below it and they heard a snap and it came down,” he said Tuesday afternoon at the workplace accident scene. “Thank the lord nobody was killed,” Moore added...
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Here are some photos that Grand Traverse 911 / Traverse City Ticker posted the day of the incident on Facebook -
Source:
Facebook | Grand Traverse 911 / Traverse City Ticker
Source:
Facebook | Grand Traverse 911 / Traverse City Ticker
Source:
Facebook | Grand Traverse 911 / Traverse City Ticker
At the end of December 2020, it was announced that Hudsonville-based Bouwkamp Masonry did not follow the engineering bracing plan during construction. They were fined $28,000 by MIOSHA and were also issued a citation for not having proper training certifications on record. The electrical contractor - Advantage Electric Solutions - was also cited for improper training. The General Contractor - REI Construction Consultants - is still under investigation.
I can't find any info on if the bank ultimately plans to re-build, and if so, what the adjusted construction timeline may be. In the off-chance anybody following this is local and / or knows what is up, let us know!