- Credibility:
UPTOWN — Heavy snow caused the partial collapse of the Aragon Ballroom’s roof on Tuesday, with falling bricks causing the Chicago Transit Authority to shut down the Lawrence Avenue Red Line station.
About 75 feet of parapet wall on the Aragon Ballroom, 1106 W. Lawrence Ave., collapsed early Tuesday. The remainder of the roof and the rest of the building are in good condition, and no one was hurt in the incident, Chicago Fire spokesperson Larry Langford said.
The parapet wall partially collapsed after a weekend blizzard brought nearly a foot of snow to some places in Chicago. The ballroom’s domed roof pushes melting snow to the edges of the building, putting pressure on the parapet walls, Langford said.
The roof “is in no danger of failing,” Langford said.
It was the parapet wall on the western side of the building that suffered the collapse, sending bricks onto the alley separating the ballroom from the CTA’s Lawrence Red Line station.
The “L” was bypassing Lawrence using a single track, and the Lawrence avenue bus was rerouted away from the street. Lawrence remains closed between Broadway and Winthrop Avenue as of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Fire crews received a call at 7:47 a.m. Tuesday about a roof collapse at the Aragon.
The fire department sprayed water onto the roof line to help remove snow from near the damaged area. Crews will also work to remove dislodged bricks in an effort to secure the damaged parapet wall, Langford said.
City building inspectors were onsite, and there does not appear to be interior damage to the Aragon, Langford said.
Credit: Courtesy 46th Ward OfficeSubscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
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