Madison firefighters respond after a balcony collapsed Saturday at 544 W. Mifflin St., injuring three people.
ANDY MANIS, FOR THE STATE JOURNAL
Emilie Heidemann | Wisconsin State Journal , Emily Hamer | Wisconsin State Journal
Rotting wood that was covered up with metal panels — and therefore missed by city inspectors in a safety check — caused a second-story balcony to collapse Saturday during the Mifflin Street Block Party, sending two people to the hospital after about a dozen revelers plummeted 15 feet to the ground, according to a City Council member and police.
“It’s not the first time this has happened, and thank God we haven’t had serious injuries as a result of this,” Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, said, noting that a first-floor porch collapsed several years ago. “This could have been substantially more tragic. That’s why we take these porch inspections very seriously.”
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Earlier in April, building inspectors checked every porch and balcony of the aging houses in the 400 and 500 blocks of Mifflin Street and the surrounding area to ensure they were safe before Saturday’s block party, an event that is not sanctioned by the city but typically draws thousands every year regardless, Verveer said.
The balcony that collapsed at 544 W. Mifflin St. was also inspected, but city staff couldn’t see the wood rot because of “metal that was wrapped around the wood,” Verveer said.
Verveer said he’s not sure whether there will be consequences for the property owners but said the city’s Building Inspection Division will be conducting “a top to bottom review of the incident” starting Monday. The property owners responded immediately after the collapse, he added.
Three people were injured, including two who were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. He estimated that about 10 to 20 people were on the balcony at the time of the incident. One of the people injured was a UW-Madison student and another was a student from Marquette University, Verveer said.
The building tenants were not displaced because firefighters were able to shore up the pillars that held up the balcony to ensure the building’s structure was safe, Verveer said.
The collapse happened around 11:30 a.m. — barely a half-hour into Saturday’s festivities as more than 10,000 revelers took to the streets seemingly eager to celebrate the lack of COVID-19 mask mandates and gathering restrictions.
Madison police cited 45 people, only one of whom was taken to the Dane County Jail, police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said in a statement. She did not specify what they were charged with, but Barnes said the most common citations were for underage drinking and disorderly conduct. Two officers sustained minor injuries.
Last year, the department issued about 17 citations during the alcohol-fueled affair. They included violating a glass-free zone, open intoxicants in the street and disorderly conduct. Charges were also brought against partygoers who jumped on top of a car, smashing its windshield.
Crowds are back
Despite rainy conditions and a chance of storms, the day was a far cry from the barren streets and eerie quiet that the spring of 2020 brought. The coronavirus appeared to be nothing more than a passing thought among party-goers — sporting red Wisconsin apparel, overalls with red and white stripes, face glitter, hats of all shapes and sizes, as well as other vibrant costumes and outfits.
UW-Madison sophomore, nursing major and party-goer Elandia Ilk observed the event had a “way bigger crowd than usual.”
“A lot of the normal festivities as a community as far as college students go weren’t able to happen,” Ilk said of the party’s energy, adding that she graduated from high school in 2020. “Once mask (mandates) were lifted, people took that as the direction of ‘OK, we can go back to normal as long as we are all vaccinated.’”
The Mifflin Street Block Party is a tradition dating back more than 50 years. The party started in 1969 as a “street dance,” but it escalated into a three-day riot after police tried to stop it because residents didn’t have a permit. The party has morphed throughout the decades into the giant, messy celebration that it is today.
It’s a tradition
Several partygoers said this year’s Mifflin Street Block Party was their first. Still, they attended to keep the event’s customs alive amid the health crisis.
“It’s the perfect lifestyle experience just to see how the community comes together,” said Phoebe Smolan, a UW-Madison senior and creative writing major who is set to graduate in two weeks. “I figured it was time for me to see what it was like.”
Ryan Johnson, also a UW-Madison senior and mechanical engineering major, said the Mifflin Street Block Party was his “last hurrah” before commencement even though it was his first time at the event.
His intention for the day was to “chill, have fun and keep the (party’s) tradition going.”
Emily Wesoloski, a UW-Madison sophomore and marking and English major, attended the event with her three roommates.
“We didn’t go last year because of COVID,” she said, adding this was her first time at the party.
All attendees the Wisconsin State Journal interviewed expressed shock at Saturday’s balcony collapse, but said it seemed typical of an affair like the Mifflin Street Block Party.
COVID concerns
Block party attendees Sigma Deweese and Olivia Curran, who have friends at UW-Madison, wore masks to the event.
They appeared to be the only two people in their vicinity doing so.
“I have a feeling this will be a superspreader event,” Curran said, adding that despite the recently relaxed local mask mandate, her fears about COVID’s spread remain.
Deweese expressed similar concerns about the ongoing pandemic.
Dane County’s COVID transmission level is currently medium, according to datafrom the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the description of the first block party in 1969.
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