PITTSBURGH — A home in the 2900 block of Arlington Avenue in the city’s Arlington neighborhood has been owned by three generations of Semans. Brothers Francis and Michael, aged 72 and 66, currently live there. They are terrified the condemned property next to theirs could jeopardize that.
“Day and night, oh yeah. It’s on my mind an awful lot,” Francis Seman told 11 Investigates.
Images on Google Street View, captured in 2024, show the Semans’ home on the left, a condemned home on the right, and that home’s garage in the middle.
“The garage acted as a retaining wall holding the hillside up,” said Pittsburgh City Councilperson Bob Charland.
That was until late March when the garage came crashing down.
Francis Seman said he had repeatedly called the city’s 311 line, the mayor’s office and Charland’s office. Charland said his records indicate Seman had been calling for over a year.
“I told them it’s gonna go! I’m telling ya. I called them several times. It’s gonna go. It’s gonna go. It’s gonna go,” he said.
After the collapse, the city of Pittsburgh completed the demolition of the remaining structure and conducted “interim site stabilization measures.” The cost to taxpayers was $59,000, and the work is not finished.
Within weeks, compounded by heavy rains, the Semans saw that the hillside was moving. A fence at the top of the hill, part of the neighbor’s property, has since fallen over. Bricks, dirt, rocks and concrete have broken off the hill.
“Very, very, very scared,” Francis Seman said. “It’s my home. And like I say -- I got a brother. I’m ready to cry.”
As for his brother, stress is the last thing he needs. He just got home from the hospital this week. He spent about a month there after suffering a stroke and experiencing several major setbacks, including kidney failure.
“I was in the hospital writing you a letter. Something has to be done. We’ve been doing this for a long time. It was just getting brushed off, getting brushed off, so you have to do something,” Michael Seman said.
11 Investigates dug into the inspection records for the vacant home. It was condemned in 2019, and inspection notes show an inspector flagged the garage was “severely dilapidated and is in danger of collapsing soon” in a 2019 report.
The report further noted “there is imminent danger of failure or collapse” that “endangers life.”
When asked about the report, a city spokesperson said Wednesday that the garage was separately condemned in 2023, four years after that report.
“We failed Mr. Seman here… He’s obviously going to sit on pins and needles every time it rains,” Charland said. “That is a temporary solution. That’s not something that’s going to be the long-term fix.”
Charland does not live far from the Semans.
“I drive by Mr. Seman’s house at least once a day, and it worries me every time I see it there,” he said.
11 Investigates asked Charland if the hillside would be permanently stabilized before it causes more serious issues for the Semans.
“It better,” Charland responded.
The mayor’s office said an engineer is currently coming up with a plan for the hillside. It noted that the plans are expected by the end of July. Once those plans are in place, it will take additional time for the city to bid out the project and hire a company to do the work. Time is what the Semans fear they don’t have.
The city’s department of permits, licenses and inspections grades condemned homes on a 1 to 4 scale, 1 being the best and 4 being the worst. An inspection score of 4 means the structure can be added to the city’s demolition list.
11 Investigates found the home scored a 2 in 2020. Three years later, the score improved to a 1, meaning there was “no immediate, observable danger.” The home was empty during the entire span and for many years prior. 11 Investigates confirmed the owners have both passed away.
The city released the following statement:
“Due to the complex topography of the site—where the roadway sits approximately 20 feet below the side yard—PLI retained a Pennsylvania-licensed engineer to develop a final grading and stabilization plan. This planning process was already underway prior to the garage collapse in April and remains ongoing. The engineer is expected to complete their evaluations, plans, and specifications by the end of July 2025. PLI will then use those documents to solicit bids for the remaining demolition and permanent stabilization work.”
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