HUNTINGTON BEACH : Building’s Condition Worse; Store Closes

Increased worries over the safety of a landmark building downtown prompted officials Tuesday to order its evacuation and to divert Pacific Coast Highway traffic around it.

The two-story brick building at Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street houses Jack’s Surfboards store on the ground level and apartments upstairs.

The apartments were evacuated Monday after safety officials decided a bulge on an outside second-story brick wall facing Main Street was dangerous and that the wall appeared likely to collapse. The cause of the bulge has not been pinpointed.

City officials Monday allowed the building’s owner, Mike Abdelmuti, to continue operating the surfboard store on the ground floor. On Tuesday, however, the condition of the 68-year-old structure appeared to be worse, and the city ordered the shop closed at least until there is another inspection today.

Northbound traffic on Pacific Coast Highway between 1st and 5th streets was diverted.

“A structural engineer will be looking at the building on Wednesday,” said Keith Bohr, a redevelopment specialist with the city, on Tuesday. “The building is going to be closed at least until then.”

Bohr said the city is trying to determine whether the building should be torn down immediately.

The building is across the street from the municipal pier and faces the new Pierside Pavilion complex.