Illinois’ capital city saw some of its downtown history destroyed June 19, 2024, when a fire broke out in the buildings occupying 413–15 E. Adams St. in Springfield. The blaze started in the third-floor attic of the connected buildings, one of which included a nonprofit organization. A neighboring restaurant shared a wall with the 413–15 building and sustained enough damage to require closure.
Rapid response assessment
The day following the fire, structural engineers and a drone pilot from Hanson’s Springfield office mobilized for a rapid response assessment. Hanson performed field investigations in collaboration with the city’s fire department and a local contractor to evaluate the stability of the damaged structures.
THIR DEDICATION GIVES ME HOPE“Hanson’s team responded quickly, providing professional assessments and input regarding structural stability, which have been crucial in our restoration efforts,” Nickell said. “Their dedication to preserving the character of these buildings gives me hope as we work to rebuild our downtown community.” — Chris Nickell, owner of Vegas Line Properties
During this emergency event, Hanson’s team developed a concept-level design to stabilize compromised load-bearing walls. Given the presence of shared masonry walls, which is common to historical urban buildings, the effort required detailed planning and a phased approach to balance safety, preservation and the structural integrity of the remaining portions of the buildings.
Protecting historical structures
Hanson also provided assessments, field investigations and criteria development for the stabilization and recovery of the damaged structures at 411 and 413 E. Adams. The team’s work focused on phased, transitional infrastructure measures to stabilize common walls, coordinate debris removal and evaluate the foundation conditions of adjacent properties. Hanson collaborated with the project’s contractor to develop concept-level designs for immediate stabilization and in-kind repairs to maintain compatibility with the historic building’s construction. The team followed up on the conceptualization services by performing technical studies and structural analyses to further develop the additional bracing and restraint systems, and prepared structural details for these systems for implementation by the contractor.
The project also included limited construction-phase support to monitor field conditions, assess deviations from the original design basis, conduct drone-based monitoring of wall stability using point cloud imaging, and guide implementation of stabilization measures as site conditions were further revealed.
The team provided final observation and reporting to aid in re-occupancy decisions. Hanson’s work enabled safe debris removal and stabilization of shared walls and guided the recovery and preservation efforts for Springfield’s historic downtown infrastructure.
An additional aspect of the stabilization effort was discussing initial structural and civil site considerations with the client and the project architect for the infill of the basement at 413 E. Adams, along with a review of 415 E. Adams’ south elevation for the conceptualization of future stabilization measures. Hanson prepared plans for the owner’s use in bidding and implementing these repairs.
