November 19, 2009 – The Legion Hall in Wilson Kansas was part of a block long connection of historical buildings, when the adjoining Opera House caught fire and burned to the ground. The Legion Hall and The Opera House shared a common wall made of limestone, 104’ long and 48’ high. TC3 was called in by the Legion’s insurance company to evaluate the common wall for stability and weather tightness.
Floor joists and roof joists rested in pockets on the limestone wall, but are not rigidly attached. The wall is now supported on only one side, as the support from the Opera House side is now gone. There was great concern that if the wall fell, then the Legion Hall would also collapse, causing a much greater loss. TC3’s structural engineer designed a stabilizing repair, and experts were called in to evaluate costs of masonry repair, tuck-pointing and waterproofing the wall to make it capable of weathering the tough Kansas climate.
