College Park Largely Undamaged by Earthquake

College Park escaped mostly unscathed from the that rocked the East Coast Tuesday, inflicting only minor damage to buildings, according to city and University of Maryland staff.

There’s been no damage to city-owned buildings or infrastructure; there were no downed wires or trees; and roads remained intact and open, they said.

City Manager Joe Nagro said he was not aware of any damage to housing.

Of the 32 Prince George’s County public schools that will remain closed for the second day in a row Thursday for structural assessment, none are in College Park. However, Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, which some College Park students attend, will be closed.

The complete list of schools closed Thursday is currently available on the Prince George’s County Public School website. All other public schools are set to open on a normal operating schedule.

Marc Limansky, PIO with the University of Maryland Department of Public Services said 15 campus buildings were reported to the department as having minor damage, though some reports for additional buildings might have gone directly to the campus facilities management department.

The damages are not expected to delay the start of the fall semester starting Wednesday, Aug. 31.

“Most of the damage reports involved cracks to mortar between bricks and to concrete,” Limansky said, noting that the university contracted with structural engineers to inspect earthquake-related damage.

Among the list of campus buildings that sustained minor damage: Benjamin Hall, Martin Hall, Kent Hall, Easton Hall, Elkton Hall, Denton Hall, Biomolecular Science, Pocomoke, A.V. Williams Building, Chesapeake Building, Art/Sociology Building, Service Building, Student Union, Ritchie Coliseum and Theodore R. McKeldin Library.

“In some high rises, elevators shut down but are now operational.  They will not be used, however, until inspected,” Limansky said.

So far, there’s been little indication that businesses in College Park sustained damage.

Shop College Park reported on the College Park Patch Facebook wall that it had not heard of any businesses in the city affected by the earthquake.

Independent businesses who met at Wednesday's College Park Neighborhood Business Alliance meeting said their establishments were barely affected by the earthquake, and joked that the only damage was a few dropped binders.

Mike Daurio, Store Manager at said the outdoor recreation store at had a 4-foot crack in a cement wall, forcing the store to close from about 2:33 p.m. Tuesday until about noon Wednesday.

After a structural engineer inspected the damage, he said it was safe to re-open. Daurio said the engineer would be working with the landlord and the REI Corporate office to mend the damage.