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Dangerous, condemned building closes busy road in Delaware County

By Ali Reid
Published  January 25, 2024 11:05pm EST
Delaware County
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Dangerous building closes busy road in Delaware County

A busy road in Delaware County is closed until further notice because of concerns about a building that has been condemned and could be dangerous.

CLIFTON HEIGHTS, Pa. - A road in Delaware County is shut down to traffic over concerns about a building that could be dangerous. The building in Clifton Heights has been condemned, after the town’s emergency management coordinator noticed on Wednesday bricks in the building were starting to bow out.

"The last thing we would want is someone to get hurt, which is why we closed the parking lot at the entrance," Borough Manager Thomas Micozzie said. "It’s all about keeping the public safe and it’s out of an abundance of caution."

The business is closed until further notice as officials discovered a bulge coming out of the side of the building. They say it could have been from an abundance of ice the day before.

"Yesterday, as I was sitting in traffic, I took a look over and saw broken bricks, brick debris on the ground and some cracks that opened up," Emergency Management Coordinator, John Gould, explained.

Immediately, borough officials recognized the seriousness of a potential fall zone and closed the area to drivers and pedestrians.

Clifton Heights resident, Nicholas Didonato said, "I’m glad that it’s being addressed and I hope it gets fixed."

He and many others are constantly in and out of the shopping center closest to Diamond Street. It’s a busy road that locals use to get to a daycare center and a number of rowhomes. It’s also a path for students to get to their bus stop.

"You wanna think about the kids more than anybody else," Didonato added.

A structural engineer will be called to determine the integrity of the building. The owner tells FOX 29 it’s not the first time the building has experienced issues. He said back in 2017, weeks after purchasing the building, he was required to put in star bolts.

This time, crews will devise a plan to rebuild the exterior wall.

"We will expedite permitting, work with engineers to be able to get the owner back into his business," Micozzie said.

The building itself has some rich history in town, as it was known originally as the Clifton Opera House back in the late 1890s. All the more reason to get this problem fixed. Officials say it’ll take a couple of weeks to come up with a new design and potentially a few months to complete the project.