GREENSBORO, N.C.-- The Dixie Building in downtown Greensboro was evacuated and condemned for several hours after a construction worker reported flooding and structure issues Tuesday morning.
The City of Greensboro confirms the building, located at 125 S. Elm St and February One Place, has been inspected. The building reopened Wednesday just before 7:30 a.m.
The building was evacuated and all utilities had been disconnected while inspectors and structural engineers were inspecting the building. Those services will be restored and building can't open until then.
A construction worker alert the city to the issues after noticing a crack in the basement flooring around 11 a.m., a Deputy Fire Marshal tells WFMY News 2. The worker confirmed water had also filled up the basement.
Inspectors were told two beams of the building had sunk about 5-6 inches. For safety reasons the building was ordered to be evacuated.
Anson Laing works across the street from the Dixie Building. He saw '50 to 60' people running out of the building as it was evacuated with personal belongings like work chairs and laptops.
"They just kept on coming," Laing said. "They grabbed as much as they could you could tell it was urgent some of them were jogging, some of them were trying to run with you know equipment files and other things."
WFMY inquired and found out the Dixie building is multi purposed with office spaces for lease. Business owners we spoke with say many lawyers and real estate agents work out of there.
Perhaps the business most affected by the situation is Cincy's Restaurant, a local downtown favorite. Cincy's is a part of the condemned building. WFMY spoke with the owners and they said they should be back up and running by Thursday, Friday the latest. They also said they were is a 'state of shock' by the days events. They personally did not receive any flooding in their restaurant.
Greensboro Development Services says the building should be safe, back opened, and no longer condemned by 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. They say they had to wait for a sump pump part.
PHOTOS | Downtown Greensboro Building Evacuated After Basement Fills Up With Water
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