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Historic Downtown Detroit Building Flooded With 2 Million Gallons Of Water

david stott building
The David Stott building towers over others in downtown Detroit (Credit: Mike Campbell/WWJ Newsradio 950)

DETROIT (WWJ) - One of Detroit's architectural gems is partially under water, after a broken main went unnoticed for days amid bitterly cold temperatures.

The bottom two floors of the David Stott building, on Griswold and State streets downtown, are flooded with a reported 2 million gallons of water.

Authorities say a water main around the ninth floor broke and the water continued to run down the building for a few days before anyone noticed.

"Downstairs, there's an easy six-foot worth of water," Justin Reynolds, who works with the Detroit Fire Department, told WWJ's Mike Campbell. "As far as I know, this place has been shut down for a couple of days. And then they came in yesterday [Tuesday] or the day before and they went to go downstairs and realized how much water was down there."

Crews on the scene Wednesday morning said they were waiting for a final clearance from city inspectors that the water is clean and safe to pump out into the sewer system. Workers were using propane heaters to pump warm air into the building to keep the water from freezing. Power and heat have been shut off at the building as the city deals with a days-long stretch of below freezing temperatures.

The floodwater has even spilled onto the surrounding sidewalks and street, leaving the surfaces "like a sheet of ice."

It's unclear if the building, which was built in 1929, will be salvageable after the water is removed.

Stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 and CBSDetroit.com for the latest.

david stott 2
Crews use propane heaters to pump warm air into the David Stott building where a water main broke, flooding the bottom two floors with millions of gallons of water. (Credit: Mike Campbell/WWJ Newsradio 950)

 

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