Brick facade of historic Cloverdale building crumbles; officials blame wind

CLOVERDALE, Ind. (WISH) — The brick facade of a historic Cloverdale building collapsed Sunday as high winds swept through the region, forcing businesses to evacuate. 

More than a dozen customers dining at Hatchet House BBQ rushed out a back door as the front of the restaurant crumbled, witnesses said. 

No injuries were reported. 

The structure collapse was likely caused by wind, according to fire officials.

A nearly foot-high pile of bricks and debris remained coned off Monday morning in front of the building. 

A battered, wood-beamed awning sat, roof-like, on top of the bricks. Strips of yellow caution tape tied to the broken wood blew in the wind. 

Passersby who hadn’t yet heard about the incident gawked at the destruction.

The historic building, located at South Main and East Market Streets, was constructed in the 1800s and houses two locally-owned restaurants: Hatchet House BBQ and Pizza Niche. 

“I was driving and then all of a sudden I [saw] this awning fall, and then here came the bricks with it,” said Shadrack Heagy, a Cloverdale resident who said he witnessed the structure collapse while he was driving home from church. “It was just a total loss.”

He said the owners of the barbecue joint were so apologetic about evacuating their customers mid-meal, they had him go to Taco Bell to pick up more food for everyone. 

The official cause of the incident and estimated rebuilding costs remained under investigation Monday morning.