Engineers Find Bristol Rowhome Is Structurally Sound

The rowhome where a wall began to collapse earlier this month will remain standing following the recommendation of a Bristol Borough-hired structural engineer and a insurance company structural engineer.

The end unit, which county records show is owned by William Brown, was found to be structurally sound, according to borough inspector and code enforcement officer John Miller said. The wall that is crumbling is able to be repaired, a structural engineer stated in a report.

“The report from the engineer hired by the homeowner’s insurance company is basically a mirror of our report,” Miller said.

Once repairs are done to the structure, which was built in 1917, inspectors will come back out and make sure the unit is safe to reside in, Miller told LevittownNow.com.

The house sits at the corner of Pine and Spring streets. As of late last week, Pine Street in the area of the house remained close.

Brown reported concerns over the wall February 21, 2014. Bristol inspectors examined the house later that day and condemned the end unit. The homeowner was told to get a engineer to examine the wall and present a report to the borough.

Brown was supposed to vacate the dwelling but apparently did not, Miller said earlier this month.

Borough inspectors drove by the home every week and observed the condition of the wall, which was noticeably worse the morning of Monday, February 2, when it appeared bowed and cracked. Crews were dispatched to put up barricades. The wall partially collapsed shortly before 5 p.m. and caused a gas leak.

The exact cause of what caused the wall to become unsafe is unclear.