A customer of a St. Paul store narrowly escaped danger Friday — she walked out of the business seconds before a driver slammed into the glass entryway.
One employee was inside Scout in the West Seventh neighborhood — maybe 12 to 15 feet away from the impact — and “he saw it kind of in slow motion and then heard the car hit the glass,” said John Migala, an owner of the men’s apparel and gift store that marked its first year in business last Friday.
No one was injured in the crash. But fire officials were concerned about the potential for collapse at the historic building at West Seventh Street and Leech Street, near Grand Avenue. The vehicle struck the building’s structural columns and one was severely damaged, said Deputy Fire Chief Roy Mokosso.
Firefighters set up a “collapse zone” in the area as a precaution after they shored up the building enough to safely remove the small sports-utility vehicle.
The area was reopened to traffic and pedestrians. The sidewalk outside Scout, which was damaged, is closed for safety reasons until further notice, according to the fire department.
Shoring complete and the vehicle has been safely removed. The store and both apartments above have been condemned. The store will be boarded up and the sidewalk will be closed for safety reasons until further notice. West 7th has been opened up again to traffic. pic.twitter.com/pmHtywsJUb
— Saint Paul Fire Dept (@StPaulFireDept) August 16, 2019
POLICE CITE DRIVER
The vehicle struck the store about 11:05 a.m. due to driver error, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman.
Police cited a 54-year-old for failure to drive with due care. He was not suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to Ernster.
A customer “literally walked out the door about 30 seconds before it happened and she was still walking down the sidewalk when the car hit,” Migala said.
Fire crews worked on Friday afternoon to stabilize the basement and main floor. People are not being allowed to return to the store or two apartments on the building’s second and third floors until a structural engineer assesses the damage and the building can be fixed, Mokosso said.
Until more is determined about the damage, it’s hard to say when Scout can reopen, but Migala said it could be at least a couple of months. They may look for a temporary space for the business or they may do “pop-up shops.”
“I’m still a little shocked, but we’ve had a lot of people from the neighborhood reach out to us, which makes us feel supported,” Migala said. “… I’m just glad no one was hurt.”
BUILDING DATES TO 1890
The structure was built in two sections — the first in 1890 was the part damaged on Friday, and the rear section that faces Grand Avenue was constructed in 1900, said Jim Sazevich, who lives in the neighborhood and is known as “The House Detective.”
Owner Peter Thauwald “was a well-known pioneer and politician and baker,” Sazevich said. He was a state legislator and ran Thauwald Saloon in the building in the early 1900s.
“It’s really an architecturally significant building on West Seventh Street and looked at as one of our great West Seventh Street landmarks,” Sazevich said.