DAVENPORT, Iowa — Just before 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 28, six floors of the "The Davenport" apartment complex at 324 Main St. collapsed into the street.
At this time, officials say there are no deaths that they know of. The entire building is now set to be demolished, leaving every resident without their belongings or a place to live.
One of our own News 8 colleagues, photojournalist Linnea Hoover, lives at the apartment building and was inside, taking a nap, at the time of the destruction.
"Something woke me. It was like the whole building was shaking, like an earthquake or like someone had just rammed something right into the building. I thought my apartment was gonna go down," Hoover recalled. "It felt like everything was going to collapse."
Hoover's apartment was in one of the adjacent hallways to the section that peeled away from the building, roughly two apartments away. She had been packing that day, as she was set to move out of the building less than 48 hours later.
That afternoon, Hoover remembered smelling a foul stench throughout the apartment.
"It had been particularly rank," she said. "It always smells in that building. But today it smelled worse, almost like there was gas, which now I know to be the case."
When first responders arrived, calls between firefighters and dispatchers reveal a strong odor of gas.
This is not the first time this building has had complaints issued against it.
Residents have reported seeing falling bricks earlier this week, cracks in the walls and leaks throughout the building. News 8 previously reported on bricks falling from the structure back in August of 2020.
"There's water that leaks through the hallways everywhere. You try and let (the landlords) know and you won't get a response," Hoover said. "My favorite is the first couple of weeks when I first moved in. I got a response that said we won't respond to anything that isn't an emergency."
According to Scott County records, the building is owned by Davenport Hotel LLC, which links back to an individual named Andrew Wold. The owner of the property has been served with a notice and order for demolition of the building.
According to the Associated Press, a working phone number for Wold was not immediately available Sunday night and attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.
Now, Hoover says she's not shocked at how this unfolded. Furthermore, she blames the landlords for Sunday's events, calling it 'unconscionable.'
"I'm not surprised this happened. I have been trying to get out. Honestly, I was just gonna break my lease and take the hit. But to see something like this, you can't imagine how bad it must have been to get to this point," she said. "I blame the landlords. They knew there were problems and instead of owning up to it, instead of letting people out of their lease agreements, they want people to pony up and it feels like I'm beholden to a slumlord."
Hoover and her fellow tenants will not be allowed to go back to the building to retrieve their belongings. News 8 has learned there were 84 units inside, including both residential and commercial. The complex is scheduled to begin demolition on Tuesday, May 30.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Hoover to help her get back on her feet. You can donate here.
Those who would like more ways to give can donate to residents through the Quad Cities Community Foundation or the Salvation Army.
Davenport Salvation Army will be assisting in the collection of donations for residents that have been displaced. Donations may be dropped off at 4001 North Brady Street.
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