No one was injured after part of the Leeson Building in Elwood fell onto the sidewalk and road Saturday afternoon.
Elwood Police Chief Sam Hanna said a section of the façade fell after a storm blew through the area around 4 p.m. With the permission of the building’s owner, firefighters with the Elwood Fire Department went up to the top of the building and tried to get down any loose materials that could fall if more winds came through the area.
Indiana 13 in that area has been closed to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic after it appeared the building had started to buckle. Hanna said not only is the road now blocked with barricades, but he has also stationed officers there to ensure no one enters the area.
Mayor Ron Arnold had said an inspection of the building by building commissioner Tom Doan found the structure was sound, but repairs are needed. The building was constructed in 1934 and once housed the Leeson department store. There is currently a furniture store in the building.