April 16, 2024
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Kaskaskia in La Salle ‘may pose a risk to public safety,’ report says

Building inspection results released Friday, 3 months after the walk through

By Olivia Doak
An aerial view of the Hotel Kaskaskia in downtown La Salle. City of La Salle officials obtained a search warrant of the property and toward the facility.

An aerial view of the Hotel Kaskaskia on Thursday, June 16, 2022, in downtown La Salle. City of La Salle officials obtained a search warrant of the property and toward the facility. (Scott Anderson)

Structural deterioration concerns regarding the Kaskaskia Hotel in downtown La Salle may pose a risk to public safety, according to the building inspection report released on Friday.

After safety concerns led the city of La Salle to obtain a search warrant in June, the city hired Wendler Engineering to conduct a building inspection of the Kaskaskia. City officials, an engineer from Wendler and building owners CL Enterprises helped conduct the inspection, which concluded June 16.

“The areas of concern reported herein are locations that indicate structural deterioration that, in my opinion, may pose a risk to public safety,” said Scott Brown, Wendler Structural Engineer, in his report of the hotel.

An inspection team completes a walk- through of the second floor of the garage at the Kaskaskia Hotel to look for any safety or structural concerns on June 16, 2022.

An inspection team completes a walk- through of the second floor of the garage at the Kaskaskia Hotel to look for any safety or structural concerns on June 16, 2022. (Photo provided by Wendler Engineer)

CL said it has not yet received the report from the city. Once the report is received, CL said it will consult with its architect and engineer regarding next steps.

The report highlights multiple roof framing and wall damage support issues in the garage structure, located west of the six story main hotel building. Areas of a wall in the garage exhibit a 3.5 inch lean that Brown recommends be repaired or temporarily braced to prevent further movement.

Also in the garage, the inspection found some failed roofing framework and a broken or cracked support column due to a structural strain. It also found some roofing framework to be moving away from the bearing support.

The inspection found exterior masonry cornice and facade elements missing or loose on the front of the main hotel building. Brown’s recommendation is to inspect all surrounding buildings and repair the exterior.

Additionally, upper balcony supports on the front of the main hotel building appear to be loose and missing.

A photo taken during the Kaskaskia building inspection of the hotel east facing balconies with missing brackets on June 16, 2022.

A photo taken during the Kaskaskia building inspection of the hotel east facing balconies with missing brackets on June 16, 2022. (Photo provided by Wendler Engineering)

There are four structures in the Kaskaskia building complex including the garage, storefront, main hotel and apartments. The main hotel is the six-story corner building, and the apartments and storefront are located along Second Street. The garage is north of the apartment buildings, behind the main hotel.

Wendler’s report said the results are from the walk through with La Salle city officials and CL Enterprises. The report said the results are not an in-depth analysis of all structural problems or a report to detect and report all deficiencies.