Condemned building collapses in Manchester

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — An abandoned building in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood collapsed Thursday.

A dilapidated building in the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh collapsed on March 23, 2023.

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The building, which was empty, collapsed around 2 p.m. on Manhattan Street between Adams and Beldale streets on the north side. The street is currently closed.

Robin Hammonds was watching television in her living room when she heard a crash.

“You could hear it like a loud, loud crash,” Hammonds said. “It kind of shook the house.”

She ran outside to find bricks and lumber piled up on the sidewalk on Manhattan Street and called for her husband.

“He said, ‘Oh, I thought it was the railway,’ I said, ‘No, it’s next to our house, the whole front fell off,'” Hammonds said.

City officials said the building was previously condemned. A team from the Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licensing and Inspections reviewed it after the incident and determined that crews will need to tear it down.

“This house has been in disrepair for a while,” Hammonds said.

Hammonds said no one has lived there for at least 10 years, and she and her neighbors have had concerns about it for some time. She said the back of the house collapsed in 2018.

“I couldn’t go out the back door. That’s how bad it was,” Hammonds said.

Over the years, they noticed the front end slowly leaning forward.

“When the water seeps in, it pushes the bricks out, so you could see it was moving away from the building,” Hammonds said.

According to real estate records online, the condition of the property is poor, with a rating of C-. Records also show that Rewind Properties purchased the home last November. KDKA-TV has attempted to reach out to the company for comment but has not heard back at this time.

“It’s always been a nuisance. We were worried the kids would get in there before they covered it up,” Hammonds said.

As for Hammonds, she is relieved to see the building come crashing down. Although she said the inspector told them her house is stable, the cave-in caused some minor damage to her car and cracked part of the front windshield.

However, that’s it. His house is still standing and everyone is fine.

“Thank God,” Hammonds said.

Hammonds said a “doomed” sign was posted on the house across from the one that collapsed. It’s not clear if crews will take it down as well, but he said one person lives there.

At this time, the demolition of the collapsed building is expected to occur sometime on Friday.

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