Building collapse closes street in New Castle
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. — A portion of Moravia Street had to be closed as debris from a fallen building was removed.
Emergency workers were called to the former Davis Supply Co. building at the corner of Moravia and Reynolds streets on the city’s South Side at 3:24 a.m. Monday.
The one-story, flat-roofed building had collapsed, likely from age and the force of recent rains, said New Castle firefighters.
The building had been vacant for some time and was most recently being used for storage by the Gussy Walker Community Outreach Organization, a nonprofit group that offers tutoring at the neighboring St. John’s United Holy Church.
J.R. Hardester, Lawrence County assessor, said the building was bought in 1995 by St. John’s United Holy Church from the Lawrence County Tax Claim office. The church sold it in 2005 to the outreach group, he said.
Eugene Barber, vice president of the group, could not be reached to comment Monday.
Firefighters said there were no utilities in the building and when the roof collapsed, the walls were pushed outward.
Emergency workers had to wait for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to clear the debris before opening the road to traffic at 6 a.m. Moravia Street is maintained by PennDOT.