Most of the store’s goods were salvaged
Joe Coury looks over the damage to the building that
once housed the family business, Joseph Coury Furniture Gallery in Vestal, on Monday. The building was severely damage in January after a water pipe broke and left two inches of water throughout the 20,000-square-foot building. Demolition begins this week.
By My-Ly Nguyen
Press & Sun-Bulletin
VESTAL — Significant water damage from a broken water pipe has led to the demolition of the former Joseph Coury Furniture Gallery building on the Vestal Parkway, co-owner Joseph Coury said.
The 20,000-square-foot building, with furniture displays in 100 rooms set up “like a maze” throughout, had been for lease, Coury said. But now that the building has been destroyed, the structure is being demolished and the 2.65 acres of land on 450 feet of the Vestal Parkway will be sold for an undetermined price, he said.
“It’s the biggest piece left on the golden mile between the Shoppes at Vestal and the 201 connector that goes to the Oakdale Mall,” Coury said.
A water pipe that fed the building’s sprinkler system burst Jan. 28, damaging the ceiling, walls, flooring and electrical system, and filling the structure with 2 inches of water, Coury said. Damage to the building exceeds $1 million, he said.
“The water cascaded out of this building, through closed doors, out the parking lot and onto the highway, gushing with such force that passersby contacted my family and the police were alerted,” Coury said Monday as he watched crews load some remaining furniture and other goods from the building to trucks outside. “It was like an ice castle in here. You couldn’t see out of any windows. When we had the warming trend, it was raining inside the building. Then it would ice up again.”
The store closed two years ago after 36 years of operation. Coury said the building was insured, but the insurance company will not honor his claim because the space was unoccupied, according to the insurance company’s definition.
“This entire building is ruined,” Coury said.
On Monday, walls and carpeting remained damp and moisture throughout the building was still visible.
LCP Group of Binghamton, which is handling the demolition, said it plans to salvage as many of the building’s materials as possible. Larry Pierce of LCP Group may transfer the furniture store’s cupola to a barn being built at his Vestal Equestrian Center, Coury said.
Coury said a plumber who investigated the cause of the broken pipe did not deem cold temperatures a factor.
About $50,000 to $100,000 worth of goods were stored at the site when the pipe burst, Coury said.
Most of the merchandise has been saved, he said.
