Tiles fall from Van Antwerp building

MOBILE, Ala. - The facade of the Van Antwerp building in downtown Mobile appears to be damaged. Tiles on the exterior of the building near the fourth floor are buckling.

The Van Antwerp building has been on the corner of Royal and Dauphin Street for 103 years, which makes it one of the city's oldest skyscrapers. The owner of the building called Mobile's 311 service to report that tiles on the outside of the building appeared to be damaged.

City inspectors and traffic engineers came out to assess the damage and concluded that the safest thing to do would be to close the street.

The city's Chief of Staff, Al Stokes, said the integrity of the building should not be in question, it is only the facade that appears to be unsafe. Stokes said he plans to meet with other leaders early Thursday morning to get more professional advice from other engineers. He was also concerned with the street closure and the effect it could have on businesses in that area, especially so close to the holidays.

"Here are some things we want to do: One, to minimize the impact of commerce, we may open a lane; or if it is determined that danger is imminent and the only way to ensure public safety is to close the street down, then we will close the street down, keeping in mind that first and foremost we ensure public safety."

As of 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, the southbound lane of Royal Street was closed and it will remain closed until the city determines that it is safe to reopen it.

Details of downtown road closures:

Traffic Engineering in conjunction with the Van Antwerp contractor decided to close all of northbound Royal Street from Conti Street to Dauphin Street.

That includes the sidewalk on the west side of Royal Street except a portion from Conti Street to the northern corner of the Hargrove and Associates building.

The sidewalk on the east side of Royal Street will remain open to pedestrian traffic.

These areas will be barricaded by the contractor and the City of Mobile.

These areas will not reopen until the structure is repaired.