Downtown New Kensington building in danger of collapse taken down in emergency demolition

An emergency demolition was underway Thursday afternoon on 10th Street in downtown New Kensington.

The three-story building, between Third and Fourth avenues, was declared a public safety hazard, City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti said.

Simply pulling ivy on an outside wall caused the entire building to shake, code enforcement officer Pat McGrath said. He had a photo taken inside and looking up showing a large hole in the roof.

A member of the demolition crew said all of the building’s floors were in the basement before they even started.

“The building was collapsing,” McGrath said. “The walls, if you touched it, would have fell.”

The building, dating to 1910, was once home to Penn Washer & Appliance Service.

McGrath said the state Department of Environmental Protection gave approval Wednesday for the building to be brought down.

The demolition was being handled privately by the building’s owners, brothers Michael and Theodore Saganis. The contractor, Wayne Grguric Xcavate of Clarksburg, was slowly and carefully taking the building apart with an excavator positioned atop a mound of dirt along the side of the building.

“He’s being very methodical,” Michael Saganis said.

The demolition required finesse because of the building’s size and location, which included utility lines along its front and side on Cherry Alley.

The crew was using what they called a “ram jib,” which they usually use to knock buildings down with, to support part of the facade so it would not collapse onto 10th Street, which was closed to traffic.

Michael Saganis, who lives nearby on Third Avenue, was watching as the demolition crew worked. He said he and his brother have bought and renovated at least 20 buildings in the city to provide affordable housing.

Saganis said they bought the building on 10th Street from the Westmoreland County repository with hopes of repairing it, but found it needed too many repairs and wasn’t worth it.

“There’s just some you can’t restore,” he said.

Saganis said they were planning on demolishing the building for some time and getting bids, trying to find the right person. He said some contractors didn’t want the job because of the nearness of the utility lines.

Of all the buildings they bought, Saganis said this was the only one they have had to demolish.

“It’s sad to see an old building go down,” Saganis said. “It’s sad because it dates back to 1910. It’s a shame.”