2 Killed, 1 Hurt in Philadelphia Building Collapse

Part of a 57-year-old variety store under renovation collapsed Monday, killing a construction worker and the store’s co-owner. Another worker was injured.

The body of shop owner Adolph Stahl was taken out of the building just after 1 p.m., more than four hours after the collapse. Fire officials said Stahl most likely died instantly.

The body of Robert Scherer, 39, was found in the rubble just over an hour later.

Another construction worker was rescued earlier by firefighters and was in fair condition at Hahnemann University Hospital.

Stahl’s wife, Faith, was able to get out on her own, authorities said. The couple owned the shop, Aunt Louise’s Variety Store, and lived above it.

“They were going to retire,” the Stahls’ daughter, Cecelia Driscoll, said tearfully.

Licenses and Inspections Commissioner Edward McLaughlin said the Vaccone Co., which was doing renovation work at the building, had the required permit but appeared to have gone beyond what it was allowed to do.

“The contractor had a permit for interior demolition. They exceeded the permit and undermined the bearing wall on one side,” McLaughlin said.

Officials with Vaccone Co. did not immediately return a call for comment.

During the search for the victims, rescuers had brought in a crane to stabilize the building’s roof, and residents in adjacent buildings were evacuated.

“There were reports of a little shifting of the structure, which isn’t unusual in this kind of situation,” Deputy Fire Chief Tom Garrity said.

A neighbor, Marie Brennan, said the store was a fixture in the South Philadelphia neighborhood. The owners were planning to close most of it and sell only a few items, such as lottery tickets, from a window, Brennan said.

“They were talking about how great their lives were going to be,” she said.