A portion of a building on Harvard Avenue in Allston collapsed over the weekend, injuring two people, one critically. The building houses several businesses, including two restaurants that were predominantly impacted by the collapse: Common Ground Bar & Grill and Kimchipapi Kitchen.
The concrete parapet atop the building fell shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 4. Boston’s fire and police departments responded. One person was trapped underneath blocks of concrete, and she was freed from the debris before emergency services transported her to a hospital. A second person was injured, though not critically. Fire officials also evacuated several people from inside the building.
The block stretching from 75 to 85 Harvard Ave. was blocked off, and officials cautioned that more of the parapet may collapse in a domino effect. Officials estimated around $500,000 in damage.
Bob O’Guin, the owner of Common Ground, told the Boston Globe he was working in the rear of the restaurant when the parapet collapsed. Crews told him it may take up to six months before the restaurant could safely reopen.
Kimchipapi Kitchen will also be closed for repairs “indefinitely,” per a Facebook post from the restaurant.
