NW Indiana building dating to 1875 collapses amid renovation

LAPORTE, Ind. (AP) - A nearly 150-year-old building that was in the midst of a renovation collapsed in a northwestern Indiana city, scattering bricks and debris onto a street but causing no injuries, officials said.

No one was inside the three-story building when a portion of it collapsed about 9 p.m. Wednesday in downtown LaPorte, leaving one section still standing next to caved-in debris.

LaPorte Fire Chief Andy Snyder said there were no injuries reported, including to anyone outside the building, which had been a fixture in LaPorte since 1875.

The building was previously home to Lows, a once popular clothing store when downtown LaPorte was a thriving retail center.

City Engineer Nick Minich said the 19th-century structure was originally one of three separate buildings later combined into a single space. He said the front portion of two of the original buildings collapsed and an investigation into the cause was under way.

Minich said the building's owner was remodeling the structure to offer retail space on the main level and apartments on the upper floors. Windows were being taken out to be replaced, and some facade work was planned, he said.

LaPorte, which is the LaPorte County seat, is located in northwestern Indiana about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the Michigan border.