Ice/Snow damages DeYor

[iwasthere]

Are you saying they shouldn't have build ADA accessible bathrooms?
i am for handicapped accessible facilities but do not destroy or forget the beauty that this bldg has in its structure.

[Penguins37]

Are you saying they shouldn't have build ADA accessible bathrooms?

[iwasthere]

Like what iwasthere?

I worked Powers for three years before I retired, and aside from the new additions the main auditorium is unchanged, and I saw virtually every inch of it including back stage, except for the projection booth.

Now I'm not keen on the new addition, but that's just a subjective opinion.

the restrooms that were built to accommodate the handicap. the downstairs restrooms and its own lobby is beautiful to catch a smoke and catch up on gossip with frds. the waterfountain that was in the spanish room was remove because they could not find a part for the fountain that excuse is full of horsemanure.

[AllanY2525]

OK... here's my best guess:

The building is a steel frame building, ie: huge girder beams, very strong.
very heavy duty... but the outer walls are basically two layers:  An inner
layer of hollow, fluted ceramic block known as "speed tile" - and one layer
of real brick on the outside.

You can see the two layers in the blowup of the original photo that I've
attached below.

As Rick was saying, the walls do not have a lot of lateral strength, they were
designed to bear loads from the top down.  These old brick and tile walls have
what are called  "pads" built into the masonry where beams and other load
bearing components of the building were laid into the brick.  Typically the pads
are either made of solid concrete, or an area of the wall that is entirely solid
brick from the inside to the outside.

The purpose of the pads is to distribute the weight of the load over a large area
of the wall, to reduce stress on the speed tile by the load.  If there are "pads" in
the wall where the fire escape was originally attached - and they undamaged by
the incident then the new fire escape can be bolted into the same exact mount
points.

If the pads are damaged, then the wall will need to be repaired or the new fire
escape can be built with legs, or it can be attached to the iron work inside the
walls.

One of the most common structural faults that develops with age in this type
of wall system is that water gets in through bad mortar joints, then it freezes
and separates the real brick sheathing from the speed tile - then the wall
crumbles.  If you look around town, you'll see this on a lot of the old row
houses, neighborhood store buildings, etc that were built up through the 
late 1930's-40's.

By the 1940's, cinder block had replaced speed tile because it was stronger
and the walls in the block castings are thicker than the ribs inside a square
of speed tile, and because concrete is stronger and harder than ceramic.

[Towntalk]

Like what iwasthere?

I worked Powers for three years before I retired, and aside from the new additions the main auditorium is unchanged, and I saw vertually every inch of it including back stage, except for the projection booth.

Now I'm not keen on the new addition, but that's just a subjective opinion.

[iwasthere]

there has been several changes to the warner bldg that i do not care that takes away its elegance away from this treasure to  ytown.

[northside lurker]

I assume they will just replace the fire escape with a new equivalent.  Because they are not making improvements or changes, they would be grandfathered in to the building code that was in effect when it was built.  But I don't know for sure.

[iwasthere]

jay i think pat syak the general manager of powers auditorium will install two gigantic whooppy cushion for patrons to jump onto them if needed for emergency.

[jay]

In this photo, the workman uses a torch to cut away the remaining metal from the collapsed fire escape.

Question (for those who know about building construction codes)

Will the fire escape be replaced the way it was originally constructed or will some other method be employed to evacuate people from the upper floor on this side of the building?

[northside lurker]

It appears to me that there was a parapet wall there, and that probably all of the snow that had been accumulating on the curved roof began to slide down like an avalanche, and the wall, which has little lateral strength just gave way.  That brick laden avalanche, after falling fifty feet had attained enough momentum to wipe out the fire escape. 

I agree.

If you read the stupid comments on the Vindy board, though, you'd think they wanted to have the building condemned and demolished.

[Rick Rowlands]

It appears to me that there was a parapet wall there, and that probably all of the snow that had been accumulating on the curved roof began to slide down like an avalanche, and the wall, which has little lateral strength just gave way.  That brick laden avalanche, after falling fifty feet had attained enough momentum to wipe out the fire escape. 

[jay]

On Tuesday, February 23, workers installed waterproof fabric on the area between the roof and the outer brick wall.  The job was completed by the end of the day.

[jay]

This is the east side of Powers Auditorium which was damaged when ice and snow pushed several of the top rows of bricks away from the building.  The falling bricks also tore part of the fire escape from the building.

[iwasthere]

i hope hagen and houser stays out of deYor those two nights the deyor cannot afford anymore audience participation from both of them.

[Towntalk]

On the news the official from DeYor said that the show will go on. The effected doors will be blocked off but there are emegency exits on both sides of the balcony, so there will be no problem.