Heavy Winds Blamed For Building's Collapse In Evanston

EVANSTON, IL — A vacant building undergoing renovations collapsed early Sunday near the intersection of Simpson Street and Dodge Avenue. The one-story storefront was set to become a restaurant before it was leveled by high winds, authorities said.

Evanston police and fire officials said no one was injured and there was no one inside the structure at the time of its collapse. Portions of the facade and rear wall that remained standing were soon demolition for safety.

High winds caused damage through the Chicago area Saturday night into Sunday morning, with gusts up to 50 mph reported in some locations, collapsed trees and dozens of power outages, according to WLS-TV.

The long-vacant property at 1829 Simpson St. had been been under construction ahead of being turned into a restaurant.

According to Gary Gerdes, Evanston's division manager of building and inspection services, the owners of the planned eatery were likely just days away from receiving final approval of its planned design.

Now they'll need to clear away the debris and submit new plans. By Monday, the site was fenced off and the rubble contained.

Gerdes said the owners had received an interior demolition permit, which allowed for removal of interior partitions, ceiling tiles, drywall during review of the main building permit.

The building was being renovated to include a roofed patio and addition to its rear, according to the documents.

The owners of the property, Arkady and Rita Katz, were in the process of seeking permission to operate "Lenny & Lambs," according to planning documents.

According to a version of its menu submitted for planning purposes, it planned to serve kebab, soups, vegetables, pies and dumplings.

Pieces of the collapsed building damaged a car parked nearby, according to WLS.

"We heard this big boom and I came out this building was collapsed," a resident told the station.

Several 5th Ward residents opposed the planned restaurant during its review process, according to Evanston Now.

However, Ald. Robin Rue Simmons supported the plan, which required the former grocery store to be re-zoned from being residential.

Under former 5th Ward Ald. Dolores Holmes, the building had been counter-intuitively zoned residential around 2003 and had remained largely vacant since.

Fire crews work on making an abandoned business that collapsed safe this morning at Simpson at Dodge. No reported injuries at this time. pic.twitter.com/Ym0ND4fuZj
— Evanston, IL Police (@EvanstonPD) February 25, 2018