426 Kelker Street’s partial collapse
A pending sale will determine the fate of a condemned Harrisburg home that partially collapsed earlier this month.
426 Kelker St. in Midtown suffered a significant partial collapse in early July.
Lynn Schaufelberger, who lives close by, first noticed the damage during a walk on July 10.
“I immediately called 911, and police and fire personnel responded to secure the scene,” Schaufelberger said.
While yellow caution tape now ropes off the area around the collapse, Schaufelberger is concerned for the safety of nearby residents and kids who pass near the building, as weeks have passed without any action.
“It has now sat through repeated rainstorms, high heat, humidity, and changing weather conditions while the structure itself continues to deteriorate,” Schaufelberger said.
Cat on rubble from the collapse
According to other neighbors, outdoor cats and curious children have also been seen near the rubble.
“It’s just a hazard,” said one neighbor, who did not wish to be named.
City officials condemned 426 Kelker in 2025.
Fire Chief Brian Enterline explained that, after a condemnation notice, property owners are responsible for either demolishing or bringing a building back up to code, but it is tough to enforce either.
The maximum fine a judge can issue in Pennsylvania to a property owner for a codes violation is $1,000, Enterline added.
“There’s very little we can do from a legal perspective,” he said.
Interior seen through collapse at 426 Kelker St.
City codes administrator Wayne Wirtfel added that the ability of the city to demolish the building, which was put on the city’s demolition list earlier this year, has been complicated by its pending sale.
Wirtfel said that the city aims to let property owners rehabilitate condemned houses and bring them up to code, and while it is evident that the current owner isn’t going to do anything with the properties, the new owner might.
“The last thing we want to do is tear down houses because there’s no gain in tax revenue, and now there’s a dead lot that we have to manage,” he said.
The property sale process began in June, prior to the building’s collapse.
Real estate agent Adam Rhoads, who listed 426 Kelker, confirmed Monday that the prospective buyer hopes to stabilize and rehabilitate the property. According to Rhoads, the sale is projected to close in the coming weeks, perhaps even by the end of July.
It was put up for sale alongside two neighboring parcels: a vacant lot at 424 Kelker and a rowhome at 428 Kelker that was condemned in 2018.
424, 426 and 428 Kelker Street
All are owned by Howard Lewis, per Dauphin County Property records.
“We appreciate the concern with the properties and are working toward navigating a successful closing, so that they can be rehabilitated,” Rhoads said.
Lewis bought the vacant lot in 2015 for $50 and was “gifted” the attached rowhomes for $1 each in 2017. The three parcels were listed in March as a “package” for $79,700 total, per a Zillow property description.
Wirtfel said that any next moves by the city in regard to the building will be determined by whether the sale goes through.
If the sale transfers, the new owner may go through the process of securing building permits in order to begin the work needed to rebuild the structure, he said.
In the meantime, he added, it is the current owner’s job to keep the building safe.
While 426 Kelker has partially collapsed, Wirtfel said it’s still in a position where it can be rebuilt.
“We’ve had a lot worse than that that’s been rebuilt,” he said.
Cat in rubble at 426 Kelker Street
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