Old Tarentum Opera House partially collapses

TARENTUM, Pa. — Evacuations are underway at the building next to the old Tarentum Opera House after it partially collapsed during last night’s storms.

An engineer is concerned that more of the building could come down.

It’s unclear how long caution tape will block Corbet Street, Fourth Avenue and Fifth Avenue in downtown Tarentum.

The city is trying to determine why the old opera house partially collapsed.

“We’re not surprised,” said Brian DeFelice, who owns the apartment building next to the collapsed structure. “This has been a problem for three years for my building. It floods my building, her roof blows onto my roof, it’s been a problem.”

DeFelice owns several businesses next to the building that collapsed Wednesday night.

Drone 11 shows a gaping hole in the roof and the back brick wall. The city of Tarentum confirmed multiple floors inside have collapsed, and the building’s bottom is now buckling, causing windows to break onto the sidewalk.

“The building should have been condemned and taken down, really,” said neighbor Veronica Bagnato, who can see the building from inside her storefront. “They put a new roof on it not too long ago, and it’s a waste of money. I see that.”

Bagnato, like many people, is worried about a full collapse, while others are upset by what the former opera house and restaurant has become.

“This at one time was a restaurant with a beautiful soda fountain, and I’d go and get lime sodas there. ... This was in the ’50s,” explained Brian Miller, who grew up coming to the now-collapsed building.

The city gave the building owner 24 hours to have a licensed engineer assess the building to determine its stability and whether an immediate repair or demolition is necessary to keep neighboring properties safe.

The city manager released a statement saying in part:

“The (city) engineer did not determine that a total collapse is imminent. However, additional failures involving the remaining walls, roof or other structural components are possible, and their timing cannot be predicted.”

The city still does not know what caused the collapse.

“We hope that something good can happen, but if not, then it needs torn down and maybe put a park, which would be beautiful for the community,” said DeFelice.

An immediate evacuation was ordered only for this apartment building you see here, which houses 11 tenants. The city did not give Channel 11 a timeline on how long they have to be out of their homes, but said the American Red Cross would help anyone in need.

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