Cambridge council approves $20 million to demolish unstable Riverview building at 221 Mount Auburn St.

The Cambridge City Council on Wednesday approved a $20,000,000 appropriation to fund demolition of 221 Mount Auburn Street after engineering reports concluded the building is structurally unsafe and cannot be repaired.

The city moved to pay for the work now "to protect public health and public safety," Mayor Simmons said at the start of the special meeting called to consider the manager's request. The council voted to transfer $20,000,000 from the general fund employee benefits salary and wages account to the general fund reserve extraordinary expenditure account; the motion carried on an affirmative vote recorded as eight in favor, one absent.

The appropriation responds to structural inspections commissioned by the Riverview condominium association and by outside consultants. Anne Saada, president of the Riverview and Cambridge Condominium Trust and a former resident of the building, told the council that the association's investigation "indicated that our main building is at risk of uncontrolled collapse." Saada and other owners said they evacuated the 9‑story, 65‑unit building in December 2024 and lack the funds to demolish it.

Deputy City Manager Kathy Watkins and city staff described the engineering findings and the city's process. Watkins said investigators found that reinforcing steel in the building was "consistently about 2 inches lower than they were specified to be" and that the concrete averaged…