Building Collapse Reverberates Through Community

A Close Call

(Photo courtesy of Middletown Police Department)

"We were up on the third floor and we saw the beams start to sag" said Mike Dipiro, owner of a building at 505 Main Street which collapsed this morning.  "And then we saw it crack.  I told Chris (Conley) to run, and I called 911."

Firefighters responded almost immediately as the building is two doors away from the Main Street fire station.  Dipiro headed to the roof of the Luce building next door to survey the damage.

"We just got down from the roof and I felt the blast," said Sammy Bajraktarevic, owner of the Luce building and restaurant.  "I was holding an umbrella and my first instinct was to hold the umbrella up to protect me from the blast.  And I started screaming at the top of my lungs.  I was screaming for Mike because I thought he was in front of the building."

"I was standing in front of the building, and the firefighters heard it,"  Dipiro said.  "They said to run and I did, and then it just blew right across the street.  The bricks were flying."

No one was in 505 Main when the roof collapsed, and there were no injuries.

Oddfellows Loses Props and Costumes, Luce Closed, Salvation Army Calls in the Reserves,  Residents Displaced, Main Street Blocked

"Even with insurance it's a total loss," said Oddfellows Producing Artistic Director Jeffrey Allen standing on the corner of Washington and Main and looking toward the collapsed building.  "We've lost 36 years of costumes and props."

Oddfellows Playhouse used the third floor fo 505 Main Street as a storage facility.  The large room was formerly used as a gymnasium and dance floor.

"We extremely pleased that no one was hurt, but it is a devastating loss to us," Allen said.  "We've got eight productions scheduled, and we serve 2,000 young people every year.  We've got 200 children enrolled in programs that will be affected immediately.


Buildings with what Mayor Sebastian Giuliano called the collapse zone (a distance three times the height of the affected building), must be closed by law until the building is secured.

The Luce building, next door to the collapsed building, is well withing that zone, as is the Salvation Army building on Main Street.

"It has a huge impact on us," Bajraktarevic said. "I have two cranes on standby to remove debris from my roof.  The restaurant is closed, and will be until we're told we can open.  And I have business tenants."

'I wanted to go in and set-up to help anyone who was displaced," said Major Rick Starkey who runs the local Salvation Army.  "But they told me to get out of my building.  We've got a truck coming down from Hartford to help out."

Residents from buildings across from the collapsed building were evacuated, and temporarily placed on buses until a shelter could be set up at Middletown High School.

According to the mayor at least 100 residences were affected, but there is some hope that some of those residences will be back in their apartments tonight.

"They heard some creaking in the rafters in the Division building (on the Northwest corner of Main), so we got the people out of there," the mayor said.

The mayor reported that Main Street from Liberty to Washington will be effectively closed for the remainder of today, and that Southbound lanes will "remain closed for some time."

"Obviously, the longer lanes are closed, the more negative impact it would have on merchants," Giuliano said.  "So we have no motivation, other than safety to keep them closed."

Washington Street (Route 66) in now open again.

Plans for Occupants of 505 Main Street

Mike Dipiro, owner of the building and principal in Guilmartin DiPiro Sokolowski Accountants, emphasized that while business will be temporarily interrpted, all files and materials have been preserved.

"We have backups for everything," Dipiro said.  "In fact, our server is still operational.  It was on a lower floor that didn't sustain damage.  I could see that my office light was still on."

Dipiro said that his priority was to find a new location so that his firm could get back to work as soon as possible.

"We've got colleagues who have offered to help us in the transition, and the support already from the
Middletown business community and the Chamber of Commerce has been great," Dipiro said.

Middletown Frame owner Dimitri Dalessandro was also concerned with finding a new location as soon as possible.

"We didn't sustain any damage in the collapse," Dalessandro said.  "But I want to get a crew in their as soon as we can to cover frames and artwork.  It's precious artwork that belongs to our clients."

Dalessandro was concerned that the after-effect of the collapse, including water damage, would take a toll on his business.

"I've already had people calling about their artwork," Dalessandro said.


Other Buildings Inspected

At a press conference in city hall, Middletown Fire Marshall Al Santestefano said that other buildings on Main Street were being inspected to prevent other collapses.

"Our aerial pieces were out inspecting every building North of Washington Street," Santostefano said.

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano also indicated that building inspectors were checking interior attics to determine if there was any sign of stress.

According to police officers on the scene suspicious crack on the face of a building directly across from the collapsed building has officials worried that another roof collapse is possible.