ADRIAN, Mich. — According to an engineering report for the Riverview Terrace Apartments in Adrian, Michigan, a wall appeared to not be properly attached to the floor, causing weight-bearing issues and light was seen shining from a unit below one with cracked planks.
The "clear break through the precast plank," "soft spots and jumps in elevation" and walls "improperly restrained by the floor" were some of the issues the Structural Associates Inc. engineering firm discovered under removed carpet in two rooms of the apartment complex.
About 200 people were forced out of their apartments after it was deemed structurally unsafe by SAI on July 22 and evacuated with a few hours of notice for the residents.
"Just thinking about the building, it's old and you can kind of understand why it happened," former resident Steve Compton said of the building's evacuation.
The 12-story apartment was built in 1972, according to the 14-page report written by SAI President Matthew Kromke.
The report also includes 23 photos of various cracks in ceilings, floors and walls. Former resident Kevin Brighton said he saw "big cracks" as well and "the only thing" holding his bed up was the carpeting.
According to the report, SAI visited Riverview Terrace to "observe the entirety of the structure and provide a condition assessment of the whole structure" at the request of Scott Beltz, the CEO of Medallion Management in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
"It became quickly apparent that there was a pattern here and it was not a good day," Kromke said of the visit on July 22.
Kromke said he tried not to focus on the issues in just one floor of the building.
"Where are they in the building? Everywhere. consistently throughout the project," he said.
Kromke said the issues he saw were immediate hazards, and after more than two decades as an engineer, he hadn't seen anything like it.
"I hope to god this is a once-in-a-career thing," he said. "I took no joy in saying to these poor people, it was heart-wrenching to say, 'you can't be here now.'"
Kromke said Riverview Terrace Apartments is an example of why buildings need to be inspected on a regular basis.
"It should be on a regularly-scheduled basis, but I really don't know necessarily that it is or what an appropriate time interval would be," he said. "I think different structures have different lifespans."
A second firm from Chicago is also assessing the building but have not produced findings yet.