Vacant Iowa brewery partly collapses, closing a whole street

Reporter/Multimedia Journalist

A vacant former brewery in Albia partially collapsed on Sunday, causing fire crews to expand street closures as they monitor the situation and investigate the cause.

First responders told KCCI the east wall of the two-story building suddenly collapsed into Princeton Alley around 11 a.m.

The building, located on Benton Avenue in the town square, has been vacant for over a year. The Chamber of Commerce has been working to find a new tenant for the property, and the fire department noted that the building was not known to have significant structural issues.

The building, known as the Skean Block, was built in 1889 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Additional crumbling was observed near the top of the building, which led authorities to extend the initial closure of the alley to the entire stretch of Benton Avenue in front of the building.

Surrounding buildings have been evacuated as a precaution, and no injuries have been reported.

Albia Fire Chief John Freshwater said MidAmerican Energy crews were called to shut off natural gas service to the building after the collapse. Heavy equipment was brought in to break through pavement and access the gas line.

Freshwater said the property’s owner is now working with contractors to determine whether the building can be stabilized. While officials say they are less certain the structure can be fully salvaged after the wall collapsed further, they remain hopeful the building’s historic façade can be preserved.

The collapse sent bricks and insulation spilling into Princeton Alley, a public gathering space maintained by the Albia Chamber of Commerce with tables, planters and seating.

Dan Stocker, a member of the Bates Foundation, said the nonprofit has invested in preserving many of Albia’s historic downtown buildings, including the Skean Block. He said the foundation previously helped restore the building into a restaurant and believed recent renovation work, including masonry repairs and tuckpointing, had left the structure in good condition.

“They’ve really brought it up, I thought it was as good as could be expected, so this was a complete surprise today,” Stocker said.

Stocker called the collapse a sad moment for the community, describing the Skean Block as one of Albia’s signature buildings and Princeton Alley as one of the square’s most picturesque gathering places. He said the community is hopeful contractors will be able to preserve at least part of the historic structure.

Officials have not yet determined what caused the collapse.