A vacant apartment building in Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood was brought down Saturday, two days after it started to collapse.
The century-old building in the 700 block of Park Street hasn’t been occupied since a fire in 2014. After part of the roof crumbled to the ground Thursday, officials said its collapse was imminent.
“I see all the building going down and bricks coming down,” said Benoit Simone, who grew up in the neighborhood and now lives in Newington.
The demolition attracted an audience who stood and watched from across the street, with cell phones in hand, as a large crane pulled the five-story building apart piece by piece. At times large chunks fell to the ground.
“I just wanted to see it,” said Cryseli Cotto of New Britain.
Park Street was shut down to protect passersby from falling debris. Luis Rodriguez got a front row seat when he pulled his lawn chair up to the caution tape.
“That’s the first time that I saw something like that you know around here that’s never happened before and I want to see the experience of how that thing is going down, the building’s going down,” said Rodriguez.
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However, Rodriguez was more than intrigued with the process, he was also concerned because he lives on the same block. Unlike the dozens who have apartments adjacent to this building, he wasn’t evacuated.
“They said we safety there. I be down here to check because I have my family upstairs, I got my grand kids and everybody in the apartment because I want to make sure we’re gonna be safe.”
As for the dozens who were evacuated, it could be Tuesday before the demolition is finished and they’re allowed to return home.
