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UPDATE: 'Pot-Bellying' Bed-Stuy Building Has Collapsed
By
Emma Whitford
Published May 16, 2017
Modified May 16, 2017
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Courtesy Hunter Fairestone
By
Emma Whitford
Published May 16, 2017
Modified May 16, 2017
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The Department of Buildings is currently on the scene in Bed-Stuy inspecting a long-vacant residential building that has been swelling precariously since yesterday, according to a spokesperson for the department and a witness. [Update below: the facade has collapsed]
"The roof caved in years ago but the pot-bellying happened yesterday," said Hunter Fairstone, 30, who has lived near the intersection of Vernon and Marcy Avenues for four years. "That building has been on the verge of collapse for a while."
(via Hunter Fairstone)
According to Fairstone, police closed Marcy Avenue between Willoughby and Vernon Avenues to traffic around 1:30 p.m. today. There is also an FDNY vehicle on the scene, and a small crowd has gathered. A single police car arrived yesterday afternoon and appeared to be on standby, he said.
Four complaints have been filed against 592 Marcy Avenue since yesterday, all pertaining to building stability, according to the Department of Buildings website. A stop work order has existed on the property since April 2008. Demolition plans filed for the property in 2011 "never panned out" according to Carmine Molisse of CG&M Management and Demolition.
"We are out there now doing a stability investigation," DOB spokesman Alexander Schnell told Gothamist.
Fairstone's backyard abuts 594 Marcy Avenue, which is adjacent to the precarious building and has been under construction for the last year. The property is permitted for a six-story, seven-unit residential building, records show. "There are no workers there now and there normally always are," Fairstone said Tuesday.
592 Marcy Avenue seen from behind, showing collapsed roof. At right, the under-construction building at 594 Marcy. (via Hunter Fairstone).
There is no stop work order on the adjacent under-construction property, according to the DOB. Property owner Jay Meishar of 594 Marcy Villa LLC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Joseph Gulino of Structural Engineering Systems constructed the foundation for 594 Marcy Avenue, he confirmed.
"The house to the right was in bad shape, but I had nothing to do with it," Gulino told Gothamist. "It was away from our project."
The owner of 592 Marcy Avenue could not immediately be reached for comment. One Joel Sternberger purchased the building in February 2015 for $609,350, according to city records.
Check back for updates.
[Update 3:15 p.m.]: The facade collapsed just before 3:30 p.m., according to witnesses. The DOB did not immediately comment on this development, though witness Fairstone said he did not see any injuries or first responders.
"Everything is casual and relaxed," he said. "No one seems to care. People are just staring."
[Update 4:15 p.m.]: A DOB spokesman said that the cause of the partial collapse has not been determined, and that inspectors are still on the scene. He added that the building was boarded up in 2016.
[Update 5:15 p.m.]: A witness captured video of the collapse.
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Emma Whitford
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