‘Like an earthquake’: 2 injured, 1 critically in Allston facade collapse

BOSTON (WHDH) - Building inspectors returned to an Allston restaurant Monday morning after a crumbling collapse sent two people to the hospital Sunday.

Emergency crews responding to a reported building collapse at 75-85 Harvard Ave. around 3 p.m. found the front facade of the Common Ground had collapsed, according to police.

Two people injured in the incident were rushed to the hospital, including one woman who was in critical condition.

Everyone who was inside the building at the time was safely evacuated.

“It was like an earthquake,” witness Bob O’Guin said. “The whole thing just fell down.”

Crews stabilized the building but are still trying to figure out what exactly caused the collapse.

“It was all cosmetic on the top,” Commissioner of Inspectional Services Buddy Christopher said. “It was the softness in the facias but we have to see how far that collapse caused damage to the primary structure of the building.”

Christopher believes a freeze-thaw played a role in the collapse.

The incident caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.

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