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Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Ind. Law - Much more on Regions Bank Building in downtown Indy damaged by storm

The Indianapolis Star this morning has much more coverage on the damage caused by Sunday night's storm to the Regent's tower and the Star's own building.

"Lawyer took stairs to flee fierce winds and danger" is the headline to this brief story by Tim Evans about Sommer and Barnard partner Jonathan Polak, who was in the building when the storm hit.

"Surveying the damage" is the headline to this story by Erika D. Smith, Daniel Lee and Norm Heikens. Some quotes:

From a debris-caked sidewalk, Mike Cook cocked his head skyward Monday, inspecting the damage to One Indiana Square. It didn't look good.

The attorney for Wooden & McLaughlin LLP occupies the northwest corner office on the 17th floor of the high-rise office building. He had left important files from two cases spread out in his office. Now they might be among the shards of glass, papers and fabric littering the sidewalk at his feet. Other lawyers in the 80-person firm were in a similar situation, trying to work from home. * * *

Crisp said Colliers and other firms are offering conference rooms, computers and telephones to tenants until they can move back into One Indiana Square. The Indianapolis Bar Association also is seeking temporary office space for its members.

Jon R. Pactor, of the one-man firm Jon Pactor Attorney at Law, said he doesn't want to give up his longtime office at One Indiana Square. But he might have to if the building stays shut for more than one week.

Still, Pactor knows he is not as bad off as a lot of lawyers and accountants who call the high-rise building home. "If all that's going to happen to me is that I'm inconvenienced, I'd count myself lucky," he said.

On Monday morning, partners from the law firm Tabbert Hahn Earnest and Weddle were just trying to find out whether their offices were damaged on the 19th floor. "Candidly, as I speak, I don't know," said partner Lante Earnest. * * *

At The Indianapolis Star, 307 N. Pennsylvania St., facilities manager Karen Smeltzer said nearly 100 windows must be replaced after being broken by flying debris.

A temporary roof has been built over fourth-floor executive offices where sections of the roof were ripped away. And facilities personnel are investigating extensive water damage to the news paper's-library.

Don't miss this photo, captioned "A bookcase in the Krieg DeVault law firm nearly 30 stories up at One Indiana Square now faces the elements not far from an opening torn wide by Sunday night's storm." The printed Star also has a photo of the publisher's office, with a gaping hole in the ceiling, showing the sky.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 4, 2006 07:40 AM
Posted to Indiana Law