First steps taken to renovate Sandman Signature Hotel in Fort Worth
February 27,2024
See full Fort Worth Report article by Seth Bodine here.
Following the explosion at the Sandman Signature Hotel in downtown Fort Worth in early January, the first steps are being taken to restore the building.
The explosion, which occurred Jan. 8 at the historic building at 812 Houston St., injured 21 people.
A commercial remodel permit was filed Jan. 30 for “selective demo for shoring” under the contractor First Onsite Property Restoration.
Shoring is the process of installing a temporary support beam in the building. This process is critical, Simon Chao, a civil engineering professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, said, because it means the building’s structural components might need to be replaced. Based on the filing, the restoration company will have to demolish parts of the building that have been critically damaged. However, the filing in itself bodes well for the state of the building, Chao said.
“I think in a way it’s good news,” he said. “‘Select’ means that’s … localized possible damage, second is that it’s repairable.”
In a company statement, Northland Properties, the owner of the Sandman in Fort Worth, said it is dedicated to restoring the hotel’s historic downtown location and that there’s no indication that the integrity of the building is compromised, but notes that reopening will take time and is unlikely to happen in the coming months.
“We are working with a structural engineer to provide confirmation of this and there are no plans to demolish at this site,” the release stated. “We are encouraged by the community support during this challenging time and know that we all look forward to opening our doors again as soon as we can.”
Northland Properties stated the company is focusing on helping employees who worked at the hotel find alternative employment.
At least 10 lawsuits related to the explosion have been filed against Atmos Energy or Northland Properties. Atmos filed a lawsuit to prevent liability in the explosion. After working with the Fort Worth Fire and Police departments to complete safety checks and an investigation, the company says there’s no indication that Atmos Energy’s system was involved in the explosion.
Seth Bodine is a business and economic development reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at seth.bodine@fortworthreport.org or follow @sbodine120.
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Location Mentioned: Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel