June 13: This is when the trouble began. Two workers removed part of the facing at 208-210 Locust Street to inspect a support beam, and in doing so weakened the structure, thus precipitating a visit from emergency services and Belfor Property Restorations. The area was subsequently cordoned off and the facade reinforced. This is when the issue came into widespread public attention.
At the time, no one thought to close this open attic window, where rainwater had entered routinely, in the process potentially weakening the structure and causing a wall to bulge. The window had been open for months (years?), and is still open even now.
Bricks near the peak have fallen out.
Creeping incrementalism: The structure continues to settle, and bricks continue to fall. The first photo in this series, dated July 19, was taken over a month after emergency personnel had responded to the scene and the facade had been reinforced inside by Belfor Property Restorations. Since then, the building continues to crumble, even as Flagger Force workers sit it out on the 200 block of Locust and town officials sleep soundly in their beds. Why is there no sense of urgency?
