Channel 11 gets answers for North Side neighbors concerned over run down buildings

PITTSBURGH — Channel 11 first came out to East Ohio Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Monday after a viewer reached out over concerns that a building was going to fall down. Since then, a brick wall, which appears to be bowing out, has been reinforced with steel.

On Tuesday, Sept. 3, a property owner on East Ohio Street called 911 to report an “imminent fear” of collapse. The next day, the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure condemned buildings in the 400 block of East Ohio Street, which are currently being rehabbed by Greece Contracting LLC.

“A lot of the buildings we work on here are old, run down,” said Ross Greece with Greece Contracting LLC.  “They haven’t been occupied in a while.  We do sometimes get a condemned notice just because the safety of the structures of the buildings we remodel aren’t safe to begin with.”

Over the last five years, Greece Contracting LLC has renovated close to a dozen different buildings on East Ohio Street. They have their eyes set on at least five more properties. But right now, their focus is on transforming the historic buildings in the 400 block into revamped spaces for three new restaurants, a gelato shop and apartments.

“It has definitely been a challenge and a fun challenge for us to go in and remodel these old historic for new people to come enjoy,” said Greece.

Ross Greece says he understands the buildings might look unsafe.

“We noticed the issue, and we got our engineers here to make sure we’re doing the right exact steps,” said Greece.

After adding structural reinforcements, Greece says he’s confident the building is stable.

“The bow of the building is not an issue at all,” said Greece. “The building is 100 percent safe.”

An employee who works in the area shared these pictures and pointed out other issues.  He declined an on-camera interview but said his place of employment has been negatively impacted by the project from construction crews hitting water and gas lines to delivery trucks being blocked.

Greece Construction says they temporarily closed the road so they could stabilize the building.

“Safety is our number one priority,” said Greece.  “We’re trying to make sure the neighborhood has no issues. Not trying to be too much of an inconvenience for the people around. But our main goal is the safety of the building so that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The goal is to have this project complete by the end of 2025.

The restaurant, Siempre Algo, is right next to the project. The owner released this statement:

“It takes enough effort to work each day. In 2024, nobody should do it in fear of imminent building collapse. All of our concerns are for the safety of the people who live and work in the Northside. We understand the challenges of trying to build and renovate within the infrastructure of this area from experience, and we have supported our neighbors who are working to do the same. The most important thing is the safety of the people who walk down these streets and sidewalks and work in and near the building. We can care deeply about the development and growth of the neighborhood while seeking transparency in the interest of safety.”

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