NEWS
Lindy鈥檚 Diner wall collapses days after city shut business down due to safety concerns
City inspectors had red-tagged Lindy鈥檚 Diner this month, citing concerns with the Bliss Building鈥檚 structure
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The wall that the city called a hazard and prompted the closure of Lindy鈥檚 Diner last week has collapsed.
Photos and videos shared of the diner and the historic property it resides in 鈥� known as the Bliss Building, located at 500 Central SW 鈥� show that the northeast exterior wall of the Downtown and Route 66 staple sat in crumbles on Monday.
Diner and building owner Steve Vatoseow, who was on his way to the scene when the Journal called around noon, confirmed the wall had collapsed and said he believes 鈥渋t wasn鈥檛 a natural collapse.鈥�
The collapse comes just days after the city of Albuquerque鈥檚 Planning Department shut the diner down after inspections found that the two-story building鈥檚 northeast exterior wall is leaning and in danger of falling onto the public sidewalk or street.
It鈥檚 unclear if anyone was hurt in the incident. Albuquerque police and Albuquerque Fire Rescue are currently on scene.
鈥淎s long as nobody鈥檚 hurt, I can live with anything else,鈥� Vatoseow said.
Last week, Vatoseow said he was aware of the building鈥檚 issues and had been trying to address them for years, but was unable to afford the fixes. The city gave the owners a deadline of May 4 to submit a structural engineer鈥檚 report, acquire a building permit and take corrective action.
Vatoseow said he planned to take action, but that it would be a while due to financial challenges. The red tag also coincided with a personal circumstance that would limit his ability to address the situation.
Locals launched a to save the building and Lindy鈥檚 four days ago. The fundraiser set a goal of $100,000 鈥� the minimum amount Vatoseow said is needed to address the building鈥檚 immediate issues. The fundraiser had received 55 donations totaling $6,957 as of Monday.
The collapse and diner closure also comes as Vatoseow was seeking to sell the building for $1.3 million. He hoped to attract an owner capable of rehabbing the building.
Longtime customer Johnny Jenkins took photos of the restaurant on his phone as he observed the collapsed structure alongside other Downtown strollers on Monday.
鈥淭hey rode it out as long as they could,鈥� he said.
This is a developing story.
You can reach Kylie Garcia at kgarcia@abqjournal.com and Gregory Hasman at ghasman@abqjournal.com.
