Statement from City of Hamilton on Building Collapse at 24 & 28 King Street East

HAMILTON, ON – On Monday, November 11, 2024, at approximately 6:45 am, the City of Hamilton’s Building Division was alerted to a reported building collapse at 24 & 28 King Street East in downtown Hamilton. A Building Inspector responded promptly and arrived on site at approximately 7:30 am. After the Hamilton Fire Department and Hamilton Police Service provided clearance to enter, the Building Inspector was able to begin their inspection.

Initial inspections revealed that the front portions of 24 & 28 King Street East, both vacant four-storey brick buildings, had partially collapsed to the north and east. Currently the site remains secured, under the care and control of the owner, and their contractors while remedial work is undertaken.

Prior to this incident, the City was actively monitoring these properties to uphold safety and maintenance standards that follows the typical protocol when a building is vacant, including quarterly inspections. The City’s Municipal Law Enforcement team (MLE), addressing property maintenance, and the Building Division, overseeing building code compliance, have been conducting regular inspections to ensure compliance with property maintenance and building code requirements.

An Order to comply, from the Building Division, was issued on July 22, 2024 to the building owner to address specific concerns; however, compliance had not yet been achieved. Last week, the City initiated further enforcement actions to hold the property owner accountable to meet their obligations to maintain the safety and integrity of the building.

The City is working diligently with the building owner to ensure the professional engineer they’ve hired conducts a thorough evaluation of the structures and determines whether further demolition is needed to protect public safety.

“Our priority remains public health and safety, and we are committed to addressing this situation thoroughly and responsibly,” said Mayor Andrea Horwath. “The building collapse yesterday highlights the need for a review of enforcement processes and recommendations to prevent such incidents. We are fully committed to protecting the community and will take all necessary steps to strengthen these efforts. I also commend our first responders - particularly the Hamilton Fire Department - for their swift response in securing the site, allowing the City to proceed with the required actions.”

The City has instructed the building owner to fence off the properties immediately until all required remedial actions are complete, with protective measures in place to secure the surrounding area. Though the site remains secure and protected to ensure public safety, the building remains unsafe at this time.

Further demolition of the remaining partial structures at 24 & 28 King Street East will be required, along with further assessments of adjacent connected buildings to ensure structural stability. Through the demolition plan, the City will make every effort to salvage and preserve any heritage features that can be safely retained, honouring the architectural significance of these historic buildings.

A nearby building, at 40 King Street East, located at the corner of Hughson and King, was also impacted by the collapse. The two occupied floors of this building have been vacated as a precautionary measure, while building evaluations proceed.

“I want to extend my gratitude to City staff across all divisions who responded swiftly and collaboratively. Our team is focused on ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone who lives, works, and visits the Gore Park area. We are working with the building owner to take all necessary steps to prevent further risk to public safety. We are also committed to working with the building owner to preserve heritage features where possible,” said Marnie Cluckie, City Manager. “Our Municipal Law Enforcement and Building Division teams have been vigilant in monitoring these properties. The building owner had been issued an Order, and further progressive steps were underway to enforce compliance. We remain committed to transparency and accountability in our response to this incident and to finding ways to improve our enforcement process.”

The City is committed to sharing further information as it becomes available, but at this time, we are unable to provide additional details as the investigation is ongoing.