Photo by Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff
Cambridge officials are preparing to demolish a troubled condominium tower following engineers’ determination that the 9-story structure at 221 Mount Auburn St. is at risk of collapse.
The 66-unit Riverview building was evacuated in November, approximately a year after structural problems were discovered. Repairs were estimated at over $73 million, according to an engineering firm’s recent report.
The condominium association hired Waltham-based engineering firm SGH to investigate the building’s structural integrity. The engineering firm discovered that the building, which was completed in 1960, had been built with lower than specified concrete, and that previous repairs to the concrete slabs may have weakened the structure. Leaks caused reinforced steel corrosion throughout the building, according to the report submitted to city officials in April.
The weakened structural condition places the building at risk of a progressive collapse, as slabs “pancake” on top of each other, the Boston Globe reported.
In January 1971, three workers died when a 16-story condo building at 2000 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston collapsed during construction. More recently, a broadly similar type of structural failure killed 98 residents of a condo tower in Surfside, Florida in 2021.
Because of the estimated cost of repairs to the Riverview building, the report recommended alternatives including a complete reconstruction and redevelopment of the property.
Cambridge’s Inspectional Services Department issued an order June 27 to demolish the building because of its unsafe condition.
The demolition project is expected to last three to four months, following six to eight weeks of engineering and permitting activity, officials announced at a community meeting last week. The project will require misting and air monitoring because of asbestos materials in the structure.
The city would pay for the demolition and recoup the costs following a sale of the property, the Globe reported. The demolition project is estimated at $8.8 million, according to a letter submitted by Consigli Construction to M. Anne Sa’adah, president of the condominium trust board of trustees.
The 3-story, 14-unit Bradbury building which is located on the rear of the property also has been vacated in recent weeks.
The demolition project will require closure of portions of Mount Auburn and Sparks street beginning Sunday.
The property was developed by First Realty Co. of Boston, which acquired the site from the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority in 1962 for $150,000, according to a meeting presentation.
Units in the building have sold for between $1 million and $1.4 million since 2020, according to data compiled by The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.
The problems were first discovered during preparation for a roof repair project in 2023.
