Cracked Floors, Bowed Walls: Many Warnings but No Action at Iowa Building Before Deadly Collapse

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) So many people knew something wasnt right at the 116-year-old Davenport apartment building.

The structural engineer who documented the shaky wall. The head of a masonry company who wouldnt let his workers onto the site. The city inspector who threatened to close some units. A downtown official who called 911 and asked firefighters to take a look. And tenants who told of cracks in their floors and walls.

But no one ordered residents out, and it was only when a section of the six-story brick, steel and concrete building tumbled to the ground on the afternoon of May 28 that everyone seemed to connect the dots. Three men were dead, about 50 tenants were left homeless without their possessions and the city was faced with one of its taller buildings at risk of crumbling in the heart of its downtown.

Asked days after the collapse why residents hadnt been warned, Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said, I dont know that anyone can anticipate a building collapsing.

Tenants have begun filing lawsuits over the collapse, and they argue no one should be surprised by what happened.