Cambridge, Massachusetts to close streets around condo building in danger of collapsing
A waterfront condo building in Cambridge, Massachusetts is at risk of collapsing and the streets surrounding it will be closed. Now, the entire neighborhood is affected.
WBZ-TV first reported on the unsafe conditions at the Riverview Condominiums at 221 Mt. Auburn Street back in November. The city is now taking over the demolition and will shut down part of the street starting Saturday, July 12. It could last for months.
All of the residents, many of whom were seniors, were forced to move out last year after serious structural problems were uncovered during repairs to the roof.
"We just want everybody to be safe"
"It's a little crazy but it's a little more crazy that that building might fall, so the city's got to do what it's got to do to ensure everybody is safe," said Kim Ruben who lives next door to the building. "I think it's a shame and I feel bad for the people who lived there, a lot of whom were older and had to go find new places to live, but I think right now we just want everybody to be safe."
The sections of Mt. Auburn and Spark streets around the building will be closed until the building is demolished. Two bus routes will be re-routed. It leaves a lot of questions for neighbors.
"Just how long it's going to take? What the people around here should expect?" asked neighbor Ani Keshishian. "I think it's going to be pretty rough, and the hospital is like right around the corner too. This is a pretty popular area and there's already a lot of traffic in this area."
Once prime real estate
The nine-story building was prime real estate overlooking the Charles River since the 1960s.
Many residents hoped they could one day return, but the city says the condo association concluded that fixing the building isn't feasible, and it will need to be taken down as soon as possible.
"I had been walking my dog through there all the time and now I'm like, oh, maybe we shouldn't be cutting through before the fencing went up," said Ruben. "So, I'm hoping they'll pull it down and it will be safe and won't be too much of a nightmare, but we'll see."
City officials say demolition is still several months away, but the hope is to have the site demolished by the end of the year
The City of Cambridge posted more information about the demolition project on its website.