Part of a parking garage at the Empire Building on Knapp Street in downtown Milwaukee collapsed, leaving residents without parking and raising safety concerns about the structure's integrity.
Crews returned to assess the damage as engineers work to determine what caused the parking structure's failure. Chris Geary, a parking structure restoration expert with Restoration Systems Inc., says collapses like this are often linked to delayed maintenance.
"Specifically what happened here, I'm not exactly sure until I can get my eyes on it," Geary said. "But when it comes to parking structures, they're expensive to maintain. So a lot of times, those repairs and maintenance get pushed down the line. Unfortunately, that leads to things like this."
Geary says what many neighbors are calling a sinkhole is likely a structural failure.
"I don't believe that it's a sinkhole. What I think it is, it's a structural failure; the concrete has likely started degrading," Geary said. "There were areas that needed to be repaired, and that didn't occur.
Watch: Neighbors concerned after parking structure collapse at downtown Milwaukee building
For residents, the collapse has turned daily routines upside down. Evie Hoppenrath, who lives in the Empire Building, says she now has to park on the street and move her car every two hours to avoid getting a ticket.
"We have to remove our cars until further notice," Hoppenrath said. "Now I have to park on the street. I have to basically move my car every two hours, so I do not get a ticket. All the garages are empty right now."
Seeing the damage has also raised safety concerns for residents.
"I'm just glad that no one was in the basement because this could have gone a completely different way," Hoppenrath said.
Neighbors living nearby say the collapse is unsettling. Max Taylor, who lives in the neighborhood, says the incident makes him question building safety.
"It kind of makes you think like how safe these buildings might be that that could happen in this neighborhood," Taylor said.
While assessments continue, residents say communication from management will be critical in the days ahead.
"I'm hoping that the owner of the building will take this very seriously and keep us updated, and future arrangements will be done if needed," Hoppenrath said.
I reached out to Katz Properties for a statement, and they have yet to respond. Residents are allowed into the building, but the parking garage will remain closed as engineers determine the scope of repairs.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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