After months of review and independent structural analysis, the Malden Historical Commission has concluded that the building at One Salem Street poses a serious public safety threat and should be demolished.
Following the filing of Notice of Intent to Demolish a Building by the property owner, Alpha Business Center, the application was referred to the Commission for review as required by the recently passed Demolition & Alteration Delay Ordinance.
The Commission requested an independent evaluation of the structural integrity of the building, funded by the applicant. This independent evaluation confirmed the original evaluations by owner’s engineer, and also confirmed there are grave public safety issues with the existing building that require immediate attention.
The increasingly deteriorating condition of One Salem Street had been under review by the City since May 2018, when the building was deemed to be dangerous and unsafe and the owner was ordered to evaluate the exterior façade and protect the sidewalk. At the time of the Commission’s initial review in May 2019, temporary shoring of the façade was already in place to protect the public sidewalk and street. During the course of the Commission’s review, the Building Commissioner ordered installation of proper professional shoring and sidewalk and street protection, and on November 21, 2019, ordered the building to be vacated.
Demolition of the building will commence in the coming weeks and notification will soon be sent to abutters with information about the work, including hours that work will take place and the estimated time for completion, along with contact information for the project management.