CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - Residents of a high-end condominium building in Cambridge are being evacuated from their homes after inspectors found structural issues with the building that date back more than 50 years.
Moving trucks were parked outside the Riverview Condos as residents carried out what the could in cardboard boxes.
Officials recently determined the nearly 60-year-old building will have to undergo a repair project to address issues with its original infrastructure. Residents say they were told they’d need to relocate for their own safety — on short notice.
In a statement to 7NEWS, the management company that runs the building said, “These latent deficiencies were unknown for almost six decades. Until recently, no one had any reason to suspect the errors that occurred in the original construction.”
The City of Cambridge also issued a statement, writing, “While the building currently remains habitable, tenants are voluntarily leaving due to the structural concerns and needed repairs.”
A woman who owns a condo in the building said senior citizens make up more than half of the building’s tenants and added that they’ve been told it could take more than a year to make the necessary repairs.
“All these people … needing to leave their residence and not knowing where exactly they’re going has been extremely distressful for them,” she said.
That’s the case for Kristina Klammer’s 92-year-old grandmother.
“I’m very disappointed in the way things are being handled,” she said. “It’s really upsetting … I just feel really sad for her that she has all of these possessions, all these photo books and memories from her life that she has no place to put them.”
The management company says it’s assisting displaced residents through “informational meetings.”
Residents say they’d like more help as the holidays approach.
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