Falling Bricks Lead to Closing of Downtown Binghamton Street

A section of a busy downtown street near a popular Binghamton restaurant was shut down to vehicular and pedestrian traffic after debris fell from the top of a building.

State Street just north of Henry Street was closed late Thursday morning. City public works crews placed barricades on the west side of the building that houses Burger Mondays Bar & Grille.

A Binghamton Fire Department crew spotted several bricks on the sidewalk and roadway as their truck passed through the intersection around 10:15 a.m.

Fire officials noted a partial parapet wall collapse at the top of the five-story building at 23 Henry Street. The site is located across the street from the Binghamton Federal Building.

A fire investigator was notified. The city's code enforcement and engineering offices also were advised of the problem. The fire department taped off the sidewalk near the scene and the public works department brought barricades to detour vehicles around the area.

In addition to the restaurant on the street level, the building houses dozens of apartments rented by students on the upper four floors.

The entrance to the Burger Mondays restaurant remained accessible. Business co-owner Matthew Jones said he did not expect the restaurant's operations would be affected by the issue.

Property records indicated the structure is owned by Experience Housing 008 LLC of Manlius. The owners could not be reached for comment.

Responding to a request for information from WNBF News, Deputy Mayor Megan Heiman wrote: "The property owner is being issued a 24-hour emergency notice of violation and order to remedy."

It's not known when the street and sidewalk near the scene will reopen.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.