‘Unacceptable’: Boston residents want answers after 2nd water main break in days floods art gallery

BOSTON — Parts of a busy Boston street were closed to traffic on Friday morning after a massive water main break flooded the road and poured into a neighborhood art gallery.

The break happened on Tremont Street between Camden Street and Massachusetts Avenue, right on the South End and Roxbury line.

It’s in the same area where another water main break swallowed part of a vehicle and left the road impassable on October 1.

The Boston Fire Department said they had significant flooding on Tremont with the main area affected being 791 Tremont Street and the Piano Craft Guild building.

Boston Fire Captain Michael Feeney said the building that houses the Piano Craft Gallery was most affected.

Photos shared with Boston 25 News showed standing water throughout the art gallery.

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Flooded Boston business

“They had some pretty good flooding in their basement there. We were able to, Boston Water and Sewer was able to secure the water and we were able to mitigate the water damage to the basement and secure the electrical,” Feeney said.

Erik Grau, president of Piano Craft Gallery, is infuriated by what transpired on Friday morning.

“It’s totally unacceptable. The city was out here all last week fixing this issue,” Grau told Boston 25. “For it to happen again, only worse this time, is unbelievable.”

The October 1 break was to a 20-inch water main. Those who live and work in the neighborhood, including Grau, are now demanding answers after than main sprung another leak.

“We’re an art gallery. Our walls are really important to us. We need clean sturdy walls. We have to replace those now because water has seeped behind. We don’t want mold growing in a community space,” Grau explained.

A car ended up in a sinkhole as the water rushed down the road. That car and others were towed away so work to fix the problem could be done.

“Boston Water and Sewer is going to remain on scene. There’s some significant damage to the street. They’re going to be working on that all night. Tremont Street is going to be shut down from Mass Ave to Camden Street just for one-way traffic,” Feeney said.

Boston Water and Sewer spokesperson Tom Bagley said they were replacing 16 feet of pipe after the first break.

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Water main break Boston

The cause of the new break remains under investigation, according to Bagley.

“We apologize for this inconvenience to the piano guild factory and we’ll do everything we can to get this street looking good again,” Bagley said.

Bagley said the broken pipe is from 1874 and that it was relined in 1972.

“It doesn’t mean it’s a bad pipe but obviously there are issues here,” Bagley stated.

Robert Morgan, a resident of the Piano Craft Guild, was parked behind a car that ended up in a sinkhole.

“The water was starting to recede but it was about two feet deep or so on the driver’s side so I had to climb through the passenger side to get in and move the car out of the way,” Morgan explained.

Grau added, “The city really needs to figure out what the issue is and permanently fix it.”

Bagley Boston Water crews will likely end up replacing the entire section of pipe.

The Piano Craft Gallery has launched a GoFundMe to help with repairs.

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