The lawsuit argued Select Structural Engineering didn’t identify the risk of collapse, the danger of such a collapse and repairs that would have avoided a collapse.“At no time did Select Structural opine that the defects in the west wall would require an evacuation of the building,” the lawsuit said. “To the contrary, Select Structural expressly stated that the Davenport Hotel was not in danger of collapse and that no evacuation was necessary.
Officer Tom Van De Wiele wrote in the email May 30 that another code enforcement officer, Anthony Haut, showed him pictures of an exterior wall that he said showed the danger. In the email, Van De Wiele wrote, “He was frustrated and whispered to me that ‘the whole side is going to come down.’” Van De Wiele wrote that he told Haut he should tell supervisors Rich Oswald or Beth Bringolf. But the other code enforcement officer responded “I have and Rich told me to back off and don’t worry about it.”None of those named in the email responded to requests for comment by the Quad-City Times, and Assistant City Attorney Brian Heyer told the newspaper that city employees aren’t authorized to respond to such media inquiries.
The remains of the building were cleared in the weeks after the collapse and the downtown site is now bare ground.