Building Collapse Seals Fate of Burned Out Buildings at 60-64 Main

STAMFORD – The problem of what to do about 60-64 Main Street, the location of a pair of burned out buildings in the village of Stamford has been resolved by Mother Nature. The two buildings have been sitting open to the elements for the past two years. The front portion of 64 Main St. collapsed Tuesday night, with a large crash that startled the neighbors.

"The portion that collapsed stayed within the construction fence, so there was no threat from the collapse. Only some styrofoam debris floats over the fence. However there was concern for the building next door at 66 Main St., which has tenants," said Stamford Fire Chief Don VanEtten. Some of the building did collapse against that structure.

Had the front of the building collapsed into the street, there could have been a far more tragic story, according to officials.

Members of the Stamford Fire Department received the call at 10:21 p.m. reporting that one of the previously burned buildings had collapsed. The noise from the collapsed front wall made a loud crash, according to neighbors. A patron at John's Tavern called 911 to report it.

Firefighters responded and called in Delaware County Fire Coordinator Dale Downin, who is also a code enforcement officer for Delaware County. Downin determined the building at 66 Main Street was structurally stable and tenants in that building would not have to evacuate. However, Downin, along with Richard Briscoe,  the village's newly appointed code enforcement officer, both indicated the building at 64 Main St. is now condemned and needs to be demolished, said VanEtten.

A demolition company was moving in equipment Wednesday and demolition was expected to take place on Thursday, according to Mayor Robert Schneider. 

The building's owner, Waled Haredy, has been contacted by village officials, according to Mayor Schneider. He said the clean up of the debris is the owner's responsibility but the village is going to take whatever measures are necessary to have the buildings removed. Any costs of the demolition will be charged to the owner, said Schneider.

The village had sought to purchase the buildings to obtain ownership so they could apply for funding to have the buildings demolished. Mayor Schneider said the cost was previously estimated at $300,000.

The buildings were originally condemned after the fires in December 2023, but Haredy purchased them intending to renovate the remaining portions of the structures and they were  never demolished. The buildings were deemed a safety hazard and Waled came in and erected fencing and attached netting to keep debris from flying off the building. However, construction never took place.

A zoning permit with the village's zoning board was recently denied due to abandonment, after permits were filed seven months overdue;  restoration after the fires did not begin within the one year period and parking requirements were not satisfied.

Residents in the village of Stamford have expressed relief that the buildings will finally be removed.

After the collapse

Before the collapse