Doylestown Borough officials have cordoned off the front of a three-story building at 34 W. State St. after some brick had loosened around a window, Karyn L. Hyland, the borough’s director of building and zoning, said Monday.
Part of the window frame fell in late June, said Hyland, in an email. The borough contacted the owner who, she said, was coordinating with its contractor. Then, on July 18, the fire company was called in to evaluate another window.
“It was then that we determined the brick had come loose, which was not apparent from the ground,” said Hyland. The sidewalk and three parking spaces have been barricaded, said the building director, and the owner has put fencing up that is expected to allow pedestrians to pass through and provide space for parking.
The fencing will remain in place “as a precautionary measure,” said Hyland, “while the owner develops a plan to secure the brick.”
The borough’s engineer directed the location of the fencing that includes an area to account for public safety, Hyland said.
“Although it’s an inconvenience, we recognize that public safety is a higher priority,” noted the director. The owner, which is listed as 34 W. State Inc., has been cooperative and understands reopening the sidewalk and parking as soon as is safely possible is important, Hyland said.
She also noted that the damage is on the upper floors, not the newer brick that’s on the first floor or wall that faces a municipal parking lot.
An effort to reach the building’s owner was not immediately successful.
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