NORFOLK, Va. — Emergency facade repairs on the Wainwright Building closed down the sidewalk and eastbound lane on W. Bute Street in Norfolk.
On Monday, Downtown Norfolk tweeted about the closures and how the facade of the building needed the emergency repairs.
13News Now Robert Boyd said the cement facade on the corner of the building facing Bute Street began to crumble, crack and jet outward toward the sidewalk.
Nothing has collapsed but just for a precaution the city decided to close parts of the sidewalk and street between Duke and Boush Streets
A spokeswoman with the City of Norfolk said pedestrians should use the north sidewalk on W. Bute Street and motorists should use Freemason Street or York Street as alternate routes.
"Well I think it's a little bit atrocious being what we pay a month," said resident Lauren Epperson.
Epperson just moved into the Wainwright in October. She said she didn't sign a lease for $1300 a month for this kind of stress.
"When we got home we saw the fire trucks and we walked around the front and asked the guy what's going on and he said, 'I wouldn't stand there,' and I saw myself that the building was starting to crack open," said Epperson.
Sarah Skodack said she's going to steer clear of the building until she knows whether it's an isolated issue or part of a larger problem.
"Very dangerous, I mean I have a three-year-old and we walk by every day, so if we were walking by on our way to school and it happens to crumble on us that would be fatal," said Skodack.
Skodack has a good friend who lives in the Wainwright. She wonders if it's safe to sleep there tonight.
"If there is a structural issue they need to close down the building, get out the residents and block off the street," said Skodack.
However, residents said at this point they aren't being told anything by the owner. So far no one has been evacuated.
"Just falling from one side it could fall from multiple sides now, and I think it's a little concerning that it's starting low, it could possibly go higher, I just think it's pretty scary," said Epperson.
13News Now reached out to the Wainwright for a statement, but they have not returned our calls.
No further information has been released.