POUGHKEEPSIE – An area of Market Street in downtown Poughkeepsie is cordoned off following the partial collapse of the façade on the building at 11 Market Street.
The incident occurred after 11 p.m. Tuesday as an upper-level piece of the building came crashing to the sidewalk across the street from the historic courthouse. Firefighters worked to secure the building until further assessment could be made with the assistance of daylight.
The building, owned by the Dutch Reformed Church, occupies a large portion of the southeast corner of both Main and Market Streets. There are entrances to the second-floor offices on both streets. The ground floor hosts several small businesses including Alex’s Restaurant, a barber shop, Bail Bondswoman, and a dry cleaner.
City Building Inspector Gary Beck said the owner of the building has been instructed to use elevated scaffolding above the sidewalks to allow for safe passage of pedestrians along the widely used thoroughfare. The scaffolding will also allow for customers and employees to enter and exit the multitude of businesses. The owner is also required to hire a contractor to take immediate action to secure the broken section as well as inspecting the remainder of the building from the rooftop. The city will also inspect the building when the contractors have finished.
The scaffolding is expected to be installed within the next 24 hours.
