Old newspaper building in Monessen collapsing
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
Heavy rains over Labor Day weekend have caused the building on Sixth Street in Monessen that once housed the Valley Independent newspaper to start to collapse. The area is blocked off by cones and police tape.
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
Some of the bricks that fell from the building on Sixth Street onto an adjacent alley
The weekend’s heavy rains caused a building in Monessen that once housed the Valley Independent newspaper to start to collapse.
Mayor Ron Mozer said the building on Sixth Street began to collapse on Sunday and continued Monday.
“It’s a flat roof that has aged,” Mozer said. “Water accumulated on the roof and it busted in. It collapsed internally and when it collapsed internally, it threw some bricks externally.”
Mozer said electricity to the building has been disconnected and the gas has been shut off.
Guy Simpson of Monessen said he bought the building about eight months ago. He plans to have a structural engineer examine the property sometime this week.
“I’m working to resolve this issue,” Simpson said Tuesday. “I’m probably going to demolish the whole building and build new. I’d like to salvage as much as possible. I bought it because I love the inside and the granite front. My goal is to put a small business downstairs and some residences upstairs to help beautify Monessen. I just didn’t get to it in time and for that I’m apologetic. I’m going to go with the structural engineer’s recommendation, and we’ll go from there.”
Mozer said the building, with addresses from 123-127 Sixth St., has not been occupied for many years and has had a number of owners over the years.
Sixth Street and the adjoining alley were closed for a while Monday to give city officials time to assess the situation Tuesday. Sixth Street was then restricted to one lane.
“It was one-way (traffic) anyway, but it is no longer two lanes wide,” Mozer said. “It’s one-lane wide with no parking.”
Mozer said cones were placed in the area to block it off, but people drove over them, so tape has been used to block off the area.
First Christian Church, located next to the building at 115 Sixth St., may have sustained some damage, according to Mozer.
“Drone footage showed some bricks on the roof,” Mozer said. “It’s unsure just what damage it has caused to the church.”
No one was injured, but Mozer said one man, who wished to remain anonymous, reported having a close call.
“He was walking in the alley at the time the bricks first started coming,” Mozer said. “He heard it and looked up just in time to see bricks coming down and got out of the way. It’s by the grace of God that nobody got hurt.”
{There are a number of old buildings in Monessen, such as the former Health Mart Discount Center on Donner Avenue, which had to be demolished earlier this year.
Bricks began to fall from that building Feb. 9, creating a hazardous situation that resulted in the closure of Fifth Street and prompting Mozer to make an emergency declaration.