Local business owner says City of Pittsburgh condemned his building after Uptown collapse

PITTSBURGH — Marco Merante, the owner of Merante Brothers Italian-American Market, was washing dishes in his shop last Wednesday when the building next door collapsed, sending bricks and debris through his business’ roof.

PHOTOS: Building collapses in Pittsburgh neighborhood

“It sounded like a bomb hit right next door. I was scared lifeless, man,” Merante said. “There’s thousands of pounds of bricks right above us right now, so I mean, it’s crazy to think that one floor saved my life.”

11 Investigates discovered the vacant building that collapsed near the corner of Fifth Ave and Marion Street in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood had been condemned by the city more than three years ago.

“This isn’t my fault. This isn’t our fault,” Merante said. His shop has been closed since last Wednesday.

His building was condemned due to damage. The market was forced to give away $1,000 worth of food, and they don’t know when they’re going to be able to reopen.

“Back against the wall right now, let me tell you. We still have bills to pay,” Merante said. “We’re closed indefinitely. We had to give away all of our product because they told us our electricity might be shut off.”

To make matters worse, Merante says he received a letter from the city saying his building is now in violation of city code and he has until Sept. 3 to submit a structural evaluation and clean up the debris.

“We’re just looking for answers at this point. No one from the city has reached out, besides that letter. No one has called us. My mom has even reached out to the mayor’s office, no response,” Merante said. “It seems like it’s all falling on our plate. It makes me feel like no one else is taking accountability.”

Channel 11 reached out to the city about the code violations letter sent to Merante but has not heard back.

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