What are the signs a cornice or parapet may be unsafe?
The clearest signs are pieces that look missing, shifted, leaning or cracked, and debris on the sidewalk below. If anything looks loose over a sidewalk or doorway, keep people out from under it and call an engineer.
You can often spot these from the street. You do not need to get closer, and you should not.
What can you see from the ground?
Look at the top of the building from the sidewalk or from across the street. Concerns include:
- Gaps or missing pieces along the cornice.
- A parapet that leans, bulges or looks wavy.
- Cracks near the top of the wall, especially stair-step cracks that follow the mortar joints.
- Metal that sags, bows or has pulled away from the wall.
- Rust stains running down the face of the wall.
- Mortar grit, small chips of brick or terra cotta, or flakes of paint on the sidewalk or on parked cars.
- Plants growing from the joints.
Does a hairline crack mean it is unsafe?
Not necessarily. Some old cracks are stable and have been there for decades. The trouble is that you usually cannot tell from the ground whether a crack is moving, or whether the anchors behind it are sound.
A crack that is new, wider, or lined up with a shifted piece deserves a closer look from a professional.
What should you do right away?
- Keep people, strollers, cars and deliveries away from the area directly below.
- Do not climb up, lean out, probe or pull at the cornice to see if it is loose.
- Take photos from the ground or from across the street, with the date.
- Call us, or the City of St. Louis building office if the building is in the city, or your own municipality. Ask what applies to your address.
If pieces are falling now or someone is hurt, call emergency services first.
When is it most urgent?
Anything loose above a public sidewalk, an entrance, a driveway or a neighbor's property is a higher priority, because people can be underneath without knowing. See something fell from my building if material has already come down.
Can you judge condition by looking?
Only partly. Much of what holds a cornice up is hidden inside the wall. Our cornice condition assessment looks at the cornice and the wall behind it and explains in writing what is stable and what is not. For the wall that rises above the roof, see parapet walls on old St. Louis buildings.
What should you send us?
Send the address and your photos, taken from the ground or across the street. We reply within one business day.