Neighbors of crumbling Jefferson City wall work to save their building

The owners of the building at 202 E. High St. are planning to separate their building from their crumbling neighbor, and they say it will be simple.

“We’ll drill holes through the brick wall and put rods through and secure them to the floor joist. And that’s not going to be real difficult,” said Ruben Wieberg, who purchased the building in 2014.

A section of 200 E. High Street’s western-facing wall suddenly collapsed in June 2018. Afterward, the building owners discovered that 200 and 202 E. High St. were connected by a shared wall.

“None of that was ever disclosed when we purchased the building,” Wieberg said.

A legal battle ensued, and Andrew Neidert, the owner of 200 E. High St., claimed a 1892 agreement cleared him of liability, and a judge agreed.

Since the ruling, Wieberg said private negotiations with Neidert have been progressing. He said he and his wife, Carol, are considering purchasing the crumbling building from Neidert for $1.

The Weibergs are now working with engineers and architects to plan the demolition of 200, while simultaneously anchoring down the shared wall to minimize damage to 202.

Engineers from the McClure Engineering Company toured 202 E. High St. on Wednesday, and said the building’s portion of the shared wall is in good shape.

“We are confident that the wall is in good enough shape to stand with just a little bit of support with tying it back to our existing building,” Wieberg said. “There’s no danger of it falling down at all.”

Weiberg estimated demolition could cost close to $200,000. It may cost more to shore up the shared wall prior to knocking down 200 E. High St.

Although the sale is still being considered and there is no plan in place, Wieberg estimates demolition could begin in the next two months.