The Hastings Moose building at 206 Fourth Ave. shares a wall and roofline with a property owned by Preston Houck (at left). The Moose building has significant water and structural damage inside and Houck is concerned for his property. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

The condition of the Hastings Moose building is causing concerns for the borough and a property owner whose building shares a wall and roofline with the structure.

Preston Houck took ownership of his cousin’s house on Fourth Avenue in June because it had been in the family since it was built in 1900. Margaret Laverne “Pegi” Houck had an extensive art collection and was like a grandmother to him, he said.

Houck said when he toured the house in April, he found problems — including dampness and mold — that he said is being caused by the Hasting Loyal Order of Moose building next door, as both structures are interconnected.

“You have to go through the Moose building to get to the roof of my house,” Houck explained.

In an effort to figure out what was going on with his property, Houck had architect Matt Bucy take a look at the inside of the Moose building in July, with Borough Council’s approval.

The aim, he said, was to solve the issues with his house.

“I wanted to open a small business in the garage (and) an art gallery of my cousin’s art work, but now it is not possible until the problems caused by the Moose building are resolved,” Houck said.

Houck said the architect told him the Moose building is unrecoverable — the roof is in bad shape, there is standing water in the building at all times, including several feet of water in the basement, and mold. The building is an environmental safety hazard, Houck said.

He was also told the internal structure is significantly rotted and the second floor, which features a bowling alley, is likely to collapse.

In an email to the Mirror, Houck described the extensive water damage.

“The basement is completely submerged, and the two other floors have large standing puddles everywhere. There are next to no windows on this building so the water never can evaporate. Large portions of the ceiling have fallen and the wood paneled walls are so waterlogged they look like giant waves. There is significant mold all throughout the building,” he said. “One big concern of mine is there is electricity still running and the building in its current state is a huge fire hazard.”

Currently, Houck is running dehumidifiers on his side of the wall to tamp down on the dampness and mold, but that is not a permanent solution.

One of the main problems with the situation, though, Houck said, is that the Moose lodge closed and the organization has said it’s not responsible for the building.

Hastings Borough can’t afford to do anything with the building, either, Houck said.

According to a mortgage filed through the Cambria County court system, Hastings Lodge No. 353, Loyal Order of Moose, a Pennsylvania non-for-profit corporation, borrowed $46,853.32 from Moose International Inc. to purchase the building on March 31, 2013. The terms of the agreement have the local Moose lodge paying monthly installments of $395.37, with the balance to be paid off by March 1, 2028.

The agreement states that the mortgagor is to keep the mortgaged property in good repair. In addition, insurance was to be kept on the property at all times and if the Hastings group defaulted on the loan, Moose International was to take possession of the property.

It’s unclear who actually owns the property now that the local Moose is closed, but when Houck inquired about the building, Moose International sent him a letter from its law firm claiming the Hastings group owns the structure.

“My client does not own this property,” wrote Paul T. Patricoski with Dreyer, Foote, Streit, Furgason & Slocum, cased in Aurora, Illinois.

“The owner of this property is Hastings Lodge No. 535, Loyal Order of Moose Inc. … The Hastings Lodge No. 535 charter was revoked in April of 2021. Unfortunately, Moose International Inc. has no control over the Lodge or this real estate,” the letter states.

The letter goes on to state that the Hastings lodge is “seriously delinquent” to the IRS and is behind in property taxes owed to the county.

“It also owes Moose International Inc. over $47,000,” the letter states.

Houck, who had inquired about repairs to the property, was told in the letter that he could not get permission from Moose International because Moose International does not own the building.

“My client (Moose International) does not own it and the IRS and the county each have an interest in the property pursuant to their respective claims for taxes,” the letter states. “Their claims are superior to any interest that Moose International Inc. may have as a creditor.”

The letter states that the Hastings Moose lodge owns the property “until some legal proceeding occurs to change that.”

Houck said this winter will be the first that the building will be unheated and he’s concerned the problems will be magnified with the onset of cold weather and snow.

“The roof of the Moose building has always been a problem,” he said. “Everything in the building has gotten worse over time because no one has maintained it.”

Hastings Borough is currently unable to do anything with the building, though the borough stands with Houck in the regard that something needs to be done.

“The borough supports him and if there’s anything we can do to help, we will,” Councilwoman Melanie Zearfoss said.

Houck said the borough applied for state funding to help with the situation and the building’s condition has been brought up many times in Borough Council meetings.

“The town feels Moose is gaslighting the situation, as they don’t see any value in the building and don’t want to deal with it,” he said of the situation.

Joseph Mech, chief financial officer with Moose International, said, “It is in the hands of our attorney now.”

Bucy told Houck there are two options for the Moose building — tear it down completely or gut the inside and leave the facade.

The Moose building is slated for auction in December, Houck said.

During the June 1, 2021, Borough Council meeting, solicitor Patrick Fanelli stated that Moose International needs to state if it is walking away from ownership claims and contents.

Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-946-7535.