The Roxy Theater in Holbrook remains closed pending an inspection by a structural engineer to confirm it is safe to occupy after the building adjacent to it collapsed without warning last week.
The 300-seat theater sustained what owners say appears to be relatively minor damage when Ivah’s, a long-vacant dress shop situated next to the Roxy, fell down suddenly on Aug. 4. Ivah’s not only crashed against the side of the theater as it fell and settled, but it also pulled away from the building with sudden force, tugging at the roofline of the Roxy where the buildings’ walls adjoined. Engineers will determine whether any of the damage sustained undermines the structural integrity of the theater, or if it is safe to occupy.
“We, of course, want to make sure everything is safe before we invite people back in,” said Amber Hill, co-owner of the Roxy, who noted that she couldn’t provide an estimated reopening date.
Asked if it turns out the Roxy is unsafe to reopen whether owners would tear it down and rebuild, Hill said it was too early to tell, but if there was a need to rebuild they would likely consider a different configuration for the theater. Rather than one large auditorium, they might construct two or three smaller auditoriums with 60 to 80 seats in each.
As of press time, the theater owners were still awaiting notification by their insurance company of a scheduled inspection of the property.
City Manager Ray Alley briefed the Holbrook City Council on the collapse and clean up of the Ivah’s building during Tuesday evening’s city council meeting. The exact cause of the collapse is still not known.
“A person walking past Ivah’s said they heard a window crack, then the implosion,” said Alley.
The city undertook an emergency abatement process to clear away the debris, which included taking special precautions for handling asbestos that may have been present in the rubble. Alley said the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) found the procedures used in the clean up to be satisfactory, including shutting down Hopi Drive and keeping all non-emergency personnel from the site, using water to keep any dust particles with asbestos from remaining airborne and hauling the debris to an approved landfill.
The building collapse occurred just after noon. By 3:30 p.m., Arizona Public Service Co. had replaced a damaged power pole and reestablished power to the line. By 4:30 p.m., Hopi Drive was reopened to traffic. Site excavators suspended operations over the weekend, and by early afternoon Monday, all debris had been removed from the site and the surrounding area cleaned. Sixteen 40- and 50-yard trash bins of debris were hauled to the Waste Management landfill in Joseph City, which is approved by ADEQ to dispose of asbestos. Metal pulled from the rubble was set aside for recycling.
One wall from the old building, the one which adjoins the east wall of the Roxy, was left standing, pending recommendations from the structural engineering inspection for safe removal.
The city has not yet tallied the costs for the site clean up, but will issue a bill for the emergency abatement to building owners Mike Sample and Ivah Jeffers-Sample of Holbrook.
Movie fans hoping to catch a movie in Holbrook are out of luck as the Roxy Theater remains closed for business while owners await an inspection that will determine the structural integrity of the building’s east wall following the collapse of the neighboring building last week.
