Thirty years ago, it was a relatively calm night at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Mo. Hundreds of people packed onto a walkway above the floor listening to a big band play music. Then there were cracking noises. The night of July 17, 1981, will never be forgotten by those who were there.
Texas A&M University's Mechanical Engineering Department states there were a series of walkways above the main floor of the hotel. One was on the fourth floor, and another was suspended below it on the second floor. Metal rods that kept the fourth and second floor walkways anchored to various parts of the ceiling. The steelworks in charge of the construction argued having twice the metal rods would be too expensive to build.
The designs were changed from a double rod design to a single rod, placing more weight on one metal structural member instead of cutting it in half between two. It was a design change that proved fatal since the ceiling couldn't hold the weight of not one, but two suspended walkways over the floor.
The fourth floor walkway collapsed onto the second floor. Then both fell to the lobby, killing many victims instantly. ABC's 20/20 had remarkable footage of the rescue operations, which lasted over 12 hours throughout the night.
For modern building materials and workmanship, it was a shocking disaster. A roof collapsed on the premises Oct. 14, 1979, and more safety inspections were ordered but never carried out by the owners.
Owners and the engineering firm G.C.E. International were found guilty of negligence by Missouri Board of Architects because of the accident. The company lost their license to practice engineering the state.
The Kansas City Star reports a memorial for the victims has been planned for over five years. Frank Freeman survived his injuries, but his partner was killed. He's raised around $350,000 out of the $800,000 needed to fund a memorial and an endowment.
The Skywalk Memorial Foundation aims to build an appropriate memorial at Hospital Hill Park on the north side of Children's Mercy Hospital. A book has also been published in conjunction with the Kansas City Star, with proceeds to benefit the memorial fund.
Even 30 years later, the Hyatt Regency collapse is one of the worst engineering disasters in American history in terms of lives lost. The hotel is 40 stories tall and still stands adjacent to Hospital Hill Park on Mcgee Street.
William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.
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