A chunk of concrete fell off a Peninsula building and smashed onto the sidewalk below, but miraculously no one was hurt.
Palo Alto engineers said they weren’t sure what caused the debris to slide onto University Avenue, but speculated that moisture may have seeped into the structure over the years.
Passersby said Friday that they believe city officials should fix up the historic building that needs repairs after a decorative cornice dropped about 30 feet over the weekend.
Although unsettled, they were also relieved that no one was injured.
A city spokesperson said engineers are keeping a close eye on the bank building that was built in 1906.
“The building owner is working with a team to make sure they are reinforcing [all] of the concrete, so we don’t have a situation like this in the future,” Catherine Elvert said.
Engineers have deemed the building structurally sound – even though there are visible cracks in other areas of façade.
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The concrete that fell off the building “seemed to be in worse condition than the other cornices on the building,” Elvert said.
The property management company did not respond to NBC Bay Area’s request for comment.
