Ozark License Office (DMV) closed after building collapses nearby on the historic Ozark, Mo., square

OZARK, Mo. (KY3) - If you were waiting to get your driver’s license or tags, you won’t be able to in downtown Ozark until at least next week due to a building collapse.

The collapse happened around 8:30 a.m. near First Street and Church inside Adventure Coffee. Police say there are no injuries reported. The coffee shop was open at the time of the collapse. Investigators say workers evacuated the building before it fell. There are apartments on top of the coffee shop.

Two doors down from the damage is the Ozark License Office. One worker says she at first thought a car ran through the building.

“There was this big cloud of dust, and you couldn’t even see the street cross the sidewalk,” said Sheila Goodrich, who works at the license office. “It was so thick and dusty.”

Police say one worker and a few customers were inside the coffee shop before the collapse. People were not in the upstairs apartment building when it collapsed.

“One of the ladies from across the square at the Christian County Clerk’s Office a block away said she actually had a picture fall off her wall,” said Goodrich.

Goodrich’s car suffered damage from the collapse. She says the damage is estimated to be nearly $1,000 after bricks hit her car.

The corner building that collapsed was built in the early 1900s. Firefighters say they hope it does not need to be demolished.

”We want to ensure that the structural integrity of this building, as well as the other buildings, is intact as they determine what they’re going to do with the facility,” said Asst. Chief Aaron Heaton, Ozark Fire Protection District.

Ozark city officials said the coffee shop had all its city permits before opening less than a year ago. Firefighters hope they won’t have to demolish the building.

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