The collapse of a rear corner of this building at 565 Forest Ave. in Bellevue has threatened the stability of the entire structure, and may result in the demolition of the six-unit apartment building. Photo by Connie Rankin for The Citizen

An apartment building on Forest Avenue in Bellevue may be demolished after a partial collapse of the foundation threatened the stability of the entire structure.

Bellevue code enforcement officer Jim Delcroix said that he found out about last Wednesday’s collapse the next day, and then only because someone flagged him down and told him about it. By that time, he said, the owners -- PMW Real Estate Management, LLC -- had moved out the residents in the six-unit apartment building.

Delcroix said that the exterior weight-bearing walls of the building were buckling from the collapse of the lower corner of the structure, which prompted him to declare the situation an emergency and initiate the borough’s emergency management procedures. Although police, fire and engineers responded, Delcroix said, there was little anyone could do except make sure everyone was out of the building and no one was allowed to get too close to it.

No less than five engineers have examined the building, Delcroix said, and none of them can say why the collapse occurred.

The building was purchased in 2008 by PMW, a partnership of three men who paid $242,346. According to Allegheny County, the property has an assessed value of $190,800, $167,600 of which is the building itself.

That, said Delcroix, is the problem when it comes to deciding what to do with the partially collapsed structure. He said that engineers have estimated that the cost of reinforcing the building and performing the building code upgrades that will be triggered by the project could near $500,000. The cost of demolition will be significantly less, he said. The owners were in the process of getting bids for demolition, but no decision had been made as to whether to proceed in that direction.

The interior of the building was improved several years ago, Delcroix said.

One thing that will have to be done, according to the CEO, is for the building to be stabilized enough that the residents will be able to get inside and remove their belongings.