Former Ida’s restaurant in Arnold collapses a day before scheduled demolition

Crews on Monday were to begin demolishing the Arnold building that formerly housed Ida’s Place Italian restaurant.

On Sunday, the building at 1605 Fifth Ave. collapsed on its own.

No one was injured.

“I’m glad that the eyesore is down,” Mayor Joseph Bia said. “Once it’s gone and cleaned up, we will have a marketable property again.”

A city contractor is expected to clear the debris in the next several days.

About five years ago, a kitchen fire ripped through the popular three-story eatery when owner Ida Peluso was cooking. Peluso had no insurance and, after the fire, moved her restaurant to Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell.

The building sat for five years as the city and nearby businesses watched it decay.

The building was among a row of businesses in Arnold’s commercial district.

“We had been trying to get the building from them (Peluso and her attorneys) for quite some time,” Bia said.

Peluso and her attorneys were in litigation with a third party over the site, which stalled the transfer of the deed to the city, Bia said.

Peluso could not be reached for comment.

The fact that the building collapsed just two days after it was signed over to the city and a day before demolition is coincidental, Bia said.

“There does not appear to be any foul play,” he said.

The building had been deteriorating, with a wall buckling recently, said neighbor Rich Bielata, owner of Forced Air Furnace Co. at 1603 Fifth Ave.

“Everyone in town knew it would eventually collapse. It was getting worse,” he said.

“It was a nuisance for one thing, and it was ugly for another thing,” Bielata said.

Because the flashing on one side of Bielata’s roof was attached to the wall of the restaurant, the building collapse damaged his roof. Bielata talked to his insurance company Monday to take care of the damage.

Bielata said he also used his insurance when his building sustained water damaged during the fire five years ago.

Now, Bielata is happy to see the restaurant building finally go away.

“There’s a lot of people buying property and fixing the houses up in the area,” he said. “We hope the same thing happens here with the businesses.”