Fire destroys old Weaver Organ & Piano building in York
Crews battle a fire on East Philadelphia Street on Wednesday. (Photo: Anthony Machcinski, York Daily Record)
(York) — The old Weaver Organ & Piano building at Broad and Walnut streets collapsed around 6 p.m. Wednesday, nearly two hours after flames engulfed the large brick building that was being renovated into apartments.
One York City firefighter was transported to a local hospital with an ankle injury, according to Ted Hake, deputy EMS chief with White Rose Ambulance. The firefighter twisted his ankle while fighting the fire inside the building, Hake said.
The firefighter, whose name was not released, was transported by White Rose Ambulance around 5:30. No other injuries have been reported.
After churning out organs and pianos for nearly 80 years, the factory closed in 1959. It was later used as an auto parts store and a warehouse for Mailman’s Department Store.
More than 100 firefighters are on the scene and most streets are shut down as they battle the fire.
Smoke was coming out of the entire building when firefighters arrived, York fire Chief David Michaels said, and it was impossible to tell where the fire might have started.
The fire chief said the building is under construction. Last year, Matt Steinkamp and his wife and business partner, Lara Bushey, had said they were converting the 53,000 square-foot building near Alexander D. Goode Elementary School into 42 modern apartments.
“This building comes with a ton of history,” Steinkamp, a former project manager at Kinsley Construction who is based in Springettsbury Township, said at that time.
The apartments were being designed with hardwood floors, exposed brick and in-unit washers and dryers. Weaver Point Lofts will also include indoor parking, an on-site gym for residents and a rooftop deck.
Multiple fire crews work the historical building that was being transformed into apartment buildings.Brandie Kessler, York Daily Record
The apartments were slated to rent from $815 for a one bedroom, one bathroom unit to $1,145 for a two bedroom, two bathroom unit. A website for the apartments indicates that pre-leasing was now available.
Steinkamp, 34, a 2001 graduate of Central York High School, planned to begin renovations last fall and have the building ready for occupancy in 2018.
Aris Spanakis rents a room on Walnut Street across from the burning building. He was at home when the fire broke out but heard about it only when the sirens started. “The flames were literally as high as the power lines,” he said.
Spanakis said he walked through the building when the owner first had plans for the apartments. “He was telling me everything he was going to do. I was like, ‘man this is amazing.’
“That’s a huge loss to the community,” Spanakis said as he watched firefighters douse the flames.
A beer distributor near the Weaver building was in danger from the fire, Michaels said, but firefighters were able to keep it contained to some melted siding.
This story comes to us through a partnership between WITF and The York Daily Record.
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