After an abandoned building in Boston’s South End crumbled to the ground, residents say many others are in similar states of deterioration and could pose serious risk to the public.
The condemned Sahara Syrian Restaurant, which sits on the corner of Shawmut Avenue and Waltham Street, has been unoccupied since it closed down in 1970. The owners, three brothers who now run a small market nearby, say they have no plans to sell it and continue using the boarded up building for storage.
Neighbors, however, are frustrated that the building isn’t being sold -- or at least renovated -- anytime soon.
“Parts of this fell off and almost hit my dog," said Bob Ross, who lives in the area. “I know the gutters are at risk and people walking are at risk.”
Similar structures can be found all over the city, where empty and dilapidated buildings remain untouched for decades. In some cases, like the Sahara, brokers refer to these buildings as “land banking.”