Debris Falling From Marshall Hotel During Demolition Stokes Fears Of Collapse

SACRAMENTO (CBS13)  — Tuesday night streets around the historic Marshall Hotel in Downtown Sacramento were closed due to structural concerns after debris fell to the ground.

On Wednesday, the roads were back open after that scare and the contractor told CBS13 the building is not in danger of collapse. Hundreds stopped and stared at what's left of the historic Marshall Hotel as it came crashing down.

"They don't build them like they used to, but I say they don't build them like they used to -- Thank God," said contractor Bruce Nye.

Swipe through pictures from the demolition

Nye was one of the people who stopped by. He saw that debris had fallen last night and that streets had been closed.

"It does concern me for the safety of people walking around," said one woman walking by.

But the demolition contractor Rodd Palon says the structure is not in danger of collapse.

READ ALSO: Scrutiny Builds Over What To Do With Historic Hotel Marshall In Downtown Sacramento

"It's a steel structure for the first three stories. It has concrete walls wrapping around everywhere," said Palon.

He says to demolish the interior crews had to separate the floors from the exterior brick walls, which preservation experts wanted to save.

"So when we severed floors away from perimeter walls that were to remain, that caused them to sag about 12 inches, and that's when plaster and debris started rolling out," said Palon.

This demolition process is common in Europe and the east coast but not in Sacramento. It's all part of saving the historic facade of the hotel that was once frequented by jazz greats the likes of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday.

Salvaging that history comes at a cost. Demolition and construction of the new Hyatt Centric hotel cost $40 million.

READ: Old Sacramento Business Owner Accused Of Erasing History

"Because there is obviously a lot of structure that has to be put in place to hold the facade because there is nothing to support it now," said Randal Wilson, the construction manager on the job.

Bruce Nye is watching what happens closely. He'd like to buy some of the old brick for another historic project in Old Sacramento.

"The brick is worth a lot of money but there is not much more they will save on this," said Nye.

Demolition will take another two to three weeks. The new hotel should be completed by November 2020.