Concrete Beam Falls From Center City Building
By Nicole Brewer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A large concrete beam came crashing down on the sidewalk and street at 20th & JFK Boulevard in Center City Friday morning.
The 25 foot-long piece of concrete appears to have fallen fell from the 4th floor parking garage of the Kennedy House onto the foot way. The beam was not supporting any other part of the building, it was completely decorative and not structural.
No injuries were reported.
Philadelphia police set up a barricade to ensure pedestrian safety.
"The pylon that fell is connected differently than most of the rest of the pylons, the decorative pylons around the face of the building. So we think it's something to do with the connector, it's probably a rusting issue. We've had tremendous moisture over the winter months and additionally with this rain that we just had … so all of that was contributing," said Jim Giblin, General Manager of the Kennedy House.
The Kennedy House leases space to Central Park System. It has no previous violations.
Architects and engineers with the building were expected at the scene Friday morning to assess the damage and check the structure of the building.
Officials with the city's Licenses and Inspections Department, as well as crews from the Streets Department, were also at the scene.
