Building collapses in Kingstown

Grenville Street is expected to re-open for vehicular traffic today, having been closed by the authorities yesterday, after bricks and huge chunks of mortar from an adjacent building fell into the street.

The facade of the building that once housed the Horseshoe Restaurant and Bar as well as {{more}}Burke’s tailor shop collapsed around 6:30 yesterday morning.

The two-storey brick building, which has a wooden upper floor, is owned by the heirs of Jerome Burke snr and is adjacent to the Double Happiness Restaurant and opposite the Music Centre.

On Thursday, minister of transport and works Julian Francis told SEARCHLIGHT that the front of the building was being used for storage while a hairdresser and other small businesses occupied the back.

Francis confirmed that no one had been injured by the falling bricks and added that he expected the road to be re-opened by Friday.

“We will do a lot today (Thursday) and make it safe for pedestrians and traffic by tomorrow morning,” he said.

“We hope to take down the front part of the roof.”

Francis estimated that the building was about 200 years old.

“It’s unfortunate, but these things I suppose happen…. It’s an old building; it’s of the old construction method and obviously it had cracked before, but it chose [now] to collapse,” the minister said. (AS)