Several businesses shut down after car tears giant hole in Roslindale building

ROSLINDALE, Mass. — Two years ago, Sarah Kosky literally prayed she would be able to locate her business to the renovated building at the corner of Corinth and Birch streets in Roslindale Square.

“This is probably the nicest building in the Square,” she said.

But Sunday morning, it was the most precarious building in the Square, after a Toyota Camry slammed into its facade around 8:30 a.m. The driver escaped with only minor injuries, and before part of the building collapsed into a pile of brick, mortar and boards.

“I’m glad no one’s hurt,” Kosky said. “But this is really heartbreaking. So many of us put everything we have into our businesses here.”

Kosky’s business, Beautiful by Sarah, was anticipating a busy week for the beauty services she offers, including facials and make-up.

“This is the type of stuff that takes small businesses down,” said Kosky, who opened just two years ago. “I hope the community is ready to support us.”

Companies are using a laser to monitor the building to see if there is any movement. We are waiting on a structural engineer to arrive. Avoid the area of Belgrade , Birch and Corinth St. pic.twitter.com/sf9KjRUk8C
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) December 18, 2022

Mayor Michelle Wu said the city is ready.

“There are some really important longstanding businesses here that everyone relies on,” Wu said. “So we’re all ‘hands on deck’ trying to make sure they’re okay. Today the focus is on safety and assessing the building to make sure we can prevent any further damage, now that it is open, with the cold weather coming.”

All day Sunday, the car remained lodged in the building, as the city brought in structural engineers to determine its integrity.

“We evacuated the building, but we found no occupants at the time,” said Brian Alkins, a spokesperson for the Boston Fire Department. “”The building will be closed, the street will be closed until we take care of the building.”

Alkins said the timing of the incident was crucial in keeping the injury count to zero.

“There’s no traffic,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse on a Monday or Tuesday afternoon.”

But for Sarah Kosky, the timing could not have been worse.

“It’s Christmas, you know,” she said. “I’m a single Mom and it’s like... every client I can get helps me to be able to make it a better Christmas for my daughter.”

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