Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning bricks and other pieces of material broke off Johnstown’s Conrad Building.
The sidewalk near that building is now closed as a safety precaution. The building has sat vacant for years, but plans to renovate it are now uncertain.
The building was set to be a part of the city’s revitalization effort, but now it’s more of an eyesore.
Two years ago, funding was obtained and there were big plans for the building. Cambria Rowe was planning to move classes into the building, but the college closed its campus earlier this summer. There were also plans for a rooftop restaurant overlooking the downtown area.
Some business owners say it should serve as a warning about other vacant buildings in the city.
“What’s happened at the Conrad building kind of demonstrates that time isn’t on our side. You know the more of these buildings that sit vacant you know mother nature is going to start taking over and I think this is a great example that we really need to as a community pull together,” said Jeremy Shearer, owner of the Press Bistro.
We reached out to the Johnstown Business District Development Corporation to find out what happens now. Our calls were not returned.
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