MILWAUKEE — Demolition crews began work Thursday on the partially collapsed warehouse building in Milwaukee’s Harbor View neighborhood as city officials continue warning that the structure remains dangerous.
The collapse happened Monday at the National Warehouse Corporation building near South Water and East Bruce streets. Officials said multiple floors on the west side of the vacant seven-story warehouse gave way. No injuries were reported.
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Milwaukee’s Department of Neighborhood Services issued an emergency raze order this week, declaring the building unsafe and beyond repair.
“Their goal today is to take care of the imminent danger parts of the structure and get it into more of a safe place,” DNS spokesperson Jeremy McGovern said Thursday. “They won’t be finished, but they’ll get good progress today.”
McGovern said contractor H.M. Brandt received a demolition permit Thursday morning and began staging heavy equipment at the site ahead of demolition operations.
According to documents submitted to the city, the demolition will be performed mechanically using heavy equipment rather than explosives. Crews are starting at the south end of the building, where the collapse occurred, and will work northward in stages.
City records show the formal raze order was issued Sept. 2 after inspectors determined the structure was “dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary, unfit for human habitation and unreasonable to repair.”
The order also states repair costs exceed 50% of the building’s assessed value, making it a public nuisance under city code.
Officials say concerns remain about additional collapse because parts of the building are now exposed to the elements.
“As we saw with that secondary collapse, it could continue,” McGovern said. “If we have high winds, it can continue to collapse.”
Crews spent Thursday spraying water onto debris and unstable sections of the building to reduce dust and airborne particles during demolition.
“It’s anything that’s airborne,” McGovern said. “As we saw from the secondary part of the partial collapse, there was a huge dust bloom created. So wetting it, misting it helps.”
McGovern said asbestos remains a concern because of the building’s age. However, emergency conditions surrounding the collapse changed the normal abatement process.
Documents tied to the raze permit note that no formal asbestos project is included under the permit, though building owners are still required to conduct asbestos inspections before work begins.
Milwaukee Health Department crews are monitoring air quality during demolition operations, according to city officials. The demolition plan submitted by H.M. Brandt outlines a phased process expected to continue through late September, including structural demolition, debris removal and site cleanup.
DNS records also show several connected warehouse properties along Bruce and Water streets must remain vacant until city orders are satisfied.
Officials said the building owner and its insurance company — not taxpayers — are responsible for demolition and cleanup costs.
Bruce Street remains barricaded near the collapse site, and officials are continuing to ask the public to avoid the area while demolition work continues.
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