WICKER PARK — Part of the former Beachwood Inn dive bar has collapsed due to a rotted beam, officials said.
Jeff Lyle, deputy district chief for the Chicago Fire Dept., said there was one person injured on the scene, but the person refused medical attention.
At the time of the collapse, 12:21 p.m. Friday, contractors had been working on the corner building at 1415 N. Wood St., providing an interior gut rehab to turn what was long known as the Beachwood Inn into Mae Belle Tavern & Grocery.
The city's Dept. of Buldings said the former bar's east wall collapsed when workers were "removing window frames and a rotting I-beam failed."
"A demolition company is on site to remove the dangerous wall," a Buildings spokeswoman said in a statement.
The building's owner, Pioneer Tavern Group's Mark Domitrovich, could not immediately be reached for comment, but officials said all permits were in order and that a structural engineer will be on site moving forward.
On November 7, Domitrovich was issued a building permit to renovate the existing two-story building from a tavern into a restaurant as well renovate an existing second-floor apartment, city records show.
In October, an interior rehab saw bricks, rubble and sawdust spilling onto the sidewalk and raised concern among local residents that the old Beachwood was being demolished.
But a Pioneer Tavern spokeswoman said that the vintage corner building was just being renovated.
"Once construction does start, it will only be updates to the interior and slight modifications/updates to the exterior - not a demolition. Pioneer Tavern Group hopes to preserve as many of the Beachwood's original furnishings as possible," a spokeswoman previously said.
Along with a bar, Mae Belle Tavern & Grocery will feature a separate "to go" element which will serve as the grocery, offering up made-to-order food items, as well as various other artisan goods by chef Brian Jupiter, the spokeswoman for Pioneer Tavern Group previously said.
Beachwood Inn closed in June 2015 after 65 years in business.
RELATED: Beachwood Inn to Become Mae Bell Tavern & Grocery Under Lottie's Pub Team
@DNA_WPB any idea what's happening at wood/milwaukee? pic.twitter.com/V7w9M6wTIh
— James Kowalsky (@James_Kowalsky) January 27, 2017
