ROCHESTER, Minn. – Engineers have stabilized the high-rise Rochester Towers condominium that was evacuated Friday after structural problems were found. The condo management company, First Service Residential, said deteriorating columns at the east ads west ends of the 54-year-old building had been shored up in a temporary fix. Engineering and construction teams still need to work through options for the structure, the company said. Meanwhile, the 15-story downtown building remained vacant. The 194 tenants were told remain elsewhere for at least two more nights. For sure it will be longer for some: More than a dozen units were torn up for crews to fix columns.
Nobody home yet. Except engineer and construction teams, who have patched structurally flawed columns but not yet figured out a permanent fix.
Downtown traffic
Traffic had been rerouted when the building was evacuated Friday. Now restored is Second Street Southwest. Still closed by emergency construction machinery and materials: Northbound Fifth Avenue Southwest from Second Street Southwest to Third Street Southwest. Access to Mayo Clinic’s Baldwin parking garage was opened from Fifth Avenue Southwest. The garage was within a 150-foot collapse zone and had been vacated.