Structural Issues Prompt Evacuation of High-End Cambridge Condo

A little slice of serenity along the Charles River was disrupted last week as the residents of 66 units in the high-end Riverview Apartments were told to evacuate the building for at least one year owing to issues in the building’s concrete and steel structure.

The Riverview Board of Trustees, after consulting external professionals, determined that the building needed to be evacuated for residents’ safety — citing high demand-to-capacity ratios with the potential to “overload” the building, according to a Wednesday press release.

In the meantime, Thayer & Associates — the management company that oversees the apartment — will work to address structural issues through extensive repairs. Though the first phase of construction is slated to begin before the end of 2024, the duration of the project is unknown.

City spokesperson Jeremy Warnick, however, clarified that “this is not at the stage of an emergency building evacuation.”

“While the building currently remains habitable, tenants are voluntarily leaving due to the structural concerns and needed repairs,” Warnick wrote in an email.

Still, the Board of Trustees has set a “near-term” timeframe for tenants to vacate, according to Warnick.

The building was designed as rental housing in the early 1960s using substandard concrete, improperly reinforced with steel rebar. Though the building transitioned to luxury condos in 1972, the structural hazards went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.

“Until recently, no one had any reason to suspect the errors that occurred in the original construction,” according to a press release from Thayer & Associates president Candice Morse.

Residents — the majority of whom own their units — were given notice to evacuate last week, according to a letter from M. Anne Sa’adah ’76, the president of the building’s board of trustees. They were invited to a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation further.

Though access to the building is restricted, residents or those helping them move will be allowed back in on a limited basis, according to the letter.

The management will be “working in earnest” to help residents move out, according to the press release.

Warnick wrote that the Office of the Housing Liaison’s services offer their assistance in navigating “complex housing-related situations, resources, and services.”

Thus far, there have been “minimal requests” from Riverview residents for the city’s services, according to Warnick.

—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart or on Threads @laurel.shugart.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.