Here's what caused the building collapse in Providence and how the businesses are coping

Editors note: This story has been updated after building permits were provided to The Providence Journal.

PROVIDENCE — A sprawling industrial building the size of a city block in the city's West End partially collapsed on Monday following a "perfect storm" caused by heavy rain and unpermitted building work that removed too much of a load-bearing wall.

Providence Inspections and Standards Director Joe Atchue said he inspected the building on Monday night and Tuesday and noted a few issues in the rest of the building but said it appears that once the wall is fixed, the building will be safe again.

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On Monday night, city workers in a small excavator pushed the bricks, steel beams and other debris in the street back onto the property Afterward, city officials fenced off the area. Inside the building, chairs and office equipment could be seen under the collapsed roof.

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"It looks like too much work was done on the support wall, and with the weather, the rain and wind, it was just enough for that wall to give way," said Atchue. "Typically we see a lot more of this stuff in older buildings after severe snow storms, with two to three feet of snow. This one, too much wall was missing."

Atchue said the city is issuing cease and desist and stop work orders on the building to stop further unpermitted work.

A building permit provided by building co-owner Jerry Batista, on Sept. 7, shows crews were permitted to renovate the building to turn it into a "strip mall plaza" and conduct "selective interior demo, opening up walls for more space non structural."

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"They're not going to be able to reutilize any of the building until they repair that center section," he said.

Atchue said it was his understanding that work at the building "had not been addressed" by any city board or commission, nor had anyone submitted plans to his office.

He said public safety is his and his department's top concern.

The heavy rains that contributed to the partial collapse pounded Providence and Cranston and flooded Route 95 near Thurbers Avenue.

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The Bucklin Plaza building is bordered by Dexter Street, Peace Street, Bucklin Street and Bellevue Avenue, and a website for the building shows renderings of a renovated façade with space for a restaurant. On the building, for rent signs advertised a restaurant space, with contact information for "Jerry" and "Miguel."

According to the website, the "historically protected" building is 45,000 square feet, with 35,660 square feet of sub-dividable space available.

The website states the building was to undergo renovations "to provide a modern face lift" and describes it as a "new neighborhood shopping center."

Dance studio built 'from scratch' forced to close

The building closure hit at least two tenants in the building very hard. Thr3e Live Dance Complex, a drop-in dance studio, and Payano Design, a window tint and vehicle wrap business, operate in the building and were forced to shut down.

"It's too soon to know yet, so we're kind of taking today to figure out what our next steps will be, and our landlord, Bucklin Plaza, has a lot to figure out on their end before they'll know their next steps," Thr3e Live Dance Complex Co-owner Nikki Gyftopoulos said.

The fall classes were to start on Tuesday, so they sent out messages to everyone who had signed up that everything is on hold until further notice.

"A lot of it is up in the air right now, so we're taking the time because I think we're still in shock," she said.

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None of the tenants have been allowed in the building to remove their property or assess the damage, she said.

The dance studio was built inside the former warehouse "from scratch," with expensive dance floors, mirrors, walls and electrical and plumbing systems. They also paid for new heating and cooling systems, Gyftopoulos said.

"We invested a lot of time, money and heart," she said.

The dance studio had been in Johnston and made the move to Providence in 2020, right as the pandemic started, opening in 2021.

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"We're still very fresh in that space," she said. "Everything is brand new. We just upgraded our business."

The studio had been gathering momentum during the summer, picking up teenagers, young adults and working adults in its drop-in classes.

"We have no idea what the next steps are," Gyftopoulos said.

Support for the dance studio has been coming in with offers of temporary space from other studios, she said.

"We're taking it step by step, and we appreciate everyone's patience," she said. "We're hoping to figure out a way to come back and provide the same experience for the Rhode Island community that we've been offering."

Water damage hits window tint business

One of the other businesses affected by the collapse is Payano Design, run by Edward Payano, which sells window tints and car wraps.

Speaking through a translator, Payano said his business has been shut down along with the rest of the building and he has no idea when it will open.

While his portion of the building didn't collapse, there was heavy water damage.

He said he will be working with an insurance company, but is losing a lot of money because of the forced closure.

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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What caused Dexter Street building collapse during Providence flooding