Freezing, thawing cited in Center City collapse
City inspectors believe that the freezing and thawing of water caused part of a nearly 90-year-old building to collapse, crashing through the roof of a neighboring Center City clothing store Tuesday and injuring three people, a top city official said Wednesday.
City inspectors believe that the freezing and thawing of water caused part of a nearly 90-year-old building to collapse, crashing through the roof of a neighboring Center City clothing store Tuesday and injuring three people, a top city official said Wednesday.
Carlton Williams, commissioner of the Department of Licenses and Inspections, said temporary repairs were underway to secure the building at 1529 Walnut St., where a parapet wall toppled onto the Lululemon Athletica store at 1527 Walnut.
"The department believes that water infiltration, along with freezing and thawing, could have caused the [bricks] to become dislodged," Williams said.
"In general, water infiltration, combined with extreme weather conditions, can result in deteriorated structures in older masonry buildings," he said.
The building at 1529 Walnut has a seventh-floor rooftop penthouse where the east-facing section collapsed. The wall was sealed to prevent further water infiltration and will be secured with temporary steel bracing along the entire length of the rooftop penthouse, Williams said.
The owner, 1529 Walnut Street Associates, has retained the Harman Group, a structural engineering firm, and William Proud Masonry Restoration Co. to stabilize and repair the property.
Once that work is concluded, the owner of the Lululemon Athletica building will conduct an engineering survey and then begin repairs on the roof of that building, Williams said.
L&I inspectors will monitor the repairs, he said.
Three women in the clothing store suffered minor injuries from the roof collapse.
215-854-5983 @RobertMoran215
