At the request of Dr. K.M. Wani, we traveled to the city of Cameron to examine a building in the central business district that was reported to have developed structural problems. Present at the site during our visit were the Mayor, Mr. James Lafferty and the Building Official, Mr. Henry Wattenbarger.

The building in question is the Baskin Insurance Building. It is located at 100 South Houston Street at the corner of South Houston and West First streets. The date 1891 is inscribed on the pediment above the front door. In the absence of other records, that date is assumed to approximate the date of the building’s construction. According to those present at the site, it was also formerly the location of the telephone exchange and switchboard for the city of Cameron, but no present evidence of that usage was observed. As such, the structure might have some local historical significance. Since the building was unoccupied at the time of our visit, its subsequent uses or occupancies were not evident. There were no historical markers or plaques observed on the structure at the time of the visit.

The building is a three-story brick structure that measures 31 feet by 101 feet at the street level. The exterior walls are of brick construction that appears to be double coursed. The top of the walls is capped with a stamped sheet-metal cap and cornice that is formed to simulate cast stone. The front facade is also trimmed with matching sheet metal. The columns which frame the windows at the front and at the northwest corner are constructed of steel angles with steel plate infill. They appear to be hollow, and it is not known if they are load-bearing. The ground floor appears to be concrete. We were unable to determine if there is a basement beneath the structure. The second and third floors and the roof are timber framed with timber columns. The roof is decked with timber planking that is covered with several layers of roofing material.

We were able to observe the present condition of the structure only from the exterior. All entry doors were locked at the time of the visit, and entrance into the building would not have been safe. The City furnished a bucket lift from which we were able to examine the front face of the structure and the condition of the roof.

At the time of the visit, the building was found to be in an extremely deteriorated condition. The roof and the second and third floors were observed to have collapsed onto the ground floor. The area involved in the collapse was noted to cover approximately the front one-half of the roof area. It was reported that the collapse had occurred during a rainstorm on Thursday February 16, 2001. Debris from t he collapse was observed to fill a great deal of the first floor space. The remaining roof area exhibits appreciable sag at the center of the building. That sag can pond water thereby increasing the possibility that the remainder of the roof may collapse.

Observations of the roof from the bucket lift indicate that the timber trusses that had supported the roof had been framed into sockets in the brick walls. On the south wall, the trusses had pulled away from the brick and rotated downward, but on the north wall, it appeared that the trusses had remained in their sockets. In that area the top of the wall had rotated inward about 8 inches from the northeast corner to a point about one third of the way down the wall. That rotation is evident on the exterior of the wall in the appearance of horizontal cracks located about 3 feet below the top of the wall. The sheet metal cap has been pulled inward in that location in excess of 12 inches. The south wall shows a distinct inward bow that indicates that lateral forces from the collapsed debris have acted on the wall.

In the debris on the ground floor there were seven 3/4-inch diameter rods with turnbuckles attached. Those were stacked on the floor and were visible under the debris from the roof and the floors above. Metal plates on the outside of the walls indicate that those rods may have been a part of the lateral bracing for the building, and had evidently been removed at some time before the roof collapse. One galvanized steel cable was visible in the debris. It appeared to run from the midpoint of the south wall to the northeast corner of the building, and appeared to be under tension. That cable may be part of some bracing system added to the structure after its construction.

The collapse of part of the roof and floors combined with the danger of collapse of the remaining roof and floors further combined with the apparent absence of lateral bracing for the walls leaves those walls in an extremely unstable condition. That is most true for the two long walls. Of those, the south wall may be a common wall between the subject building and the neighboring one-story building to the south. That building is currently occupied by Perkins and Bailey Financial Services and a barber shop. There is a danger of the upper portion of the south wall falling onto the lower building. That risk is at its highest during high winds or during heavy rainstorms which may precipitate the further collapse of the roof and floor structures.

It is our recommendation that the building be demolished immediately. That action is necessary to protect the occupants of the neighboring building and for the public safety. It is also our recommendation that the adjacent building be vacated until the demolition takes place. This precaution is necessary because the common wall between the two buildings might collapse. Since that wall may be a load-bearing wall supporting the roof of the Perkins and Bailey offices and the barber shop, its collapse would result in the collapse of that roof. In addition to the danger of a general collapse of the structure, the debris from the roof and floor collapse poses a distinct fire hazard. We also recommend extreme caution when demolishing the structure because of its proximity to an occupied structure.

Our recommendation is based on the condition in which the building was found, the apparent danger it poses to public safety and the economic aspects relating to its repair or restoration. If the owners of the building choose to restore the structure rather than demolish it, steps must be taken immediately to stabilize and brace the exterior walls. In addition, all debris must be immediately removed from the interior. Removal of the debris would necessarily include demolition of the remaining floor and roof structures.

Thank you for the opportunity to assist you in this manner. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact us.

Very Truly Yours

HUITT-ZOLLARS, INC.