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Manhattan DA Bragg investigating collapsed parking garage as New Yorkers worry about their buildings
By
David Brand
Published Apr 19, 2023
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Photo by Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
By
David Brand
Published Apr 19, 2023
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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating the fatal collapse of a Lower Manhattan parking garage, his office told Gothamist on Wednesday.
The collapse of the four-story structure at 57 Ann St. killed one worker and injured at least five others yesterday afternoon, Mayor Eric Adams said shortly after the incident. The city has not released the names of the victims.
The structure was built in 1925 and converted into a parking garage in 1957, according to city building records. The garage had a capacity for 102 vehicles, records show.
Video of the incident showed the roof caving in and cars slipping into the hole around 4 p.m.. Buildings Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik said the complex “pancaked,” meaning the ceiling collapsed onto a lower floor, which fell onto the floor below “all the way to the cellar.”
Property records list the building's owner as 57 Ann Street Realty Associates, Inc., a company headed by Alan and Jeffrey Henick that is connected to a Brooklyn-based carpet and linoleum installation firm, according to building and finance records. Neither responded to emails and phone calls seeking comment.
Little Man Parking, which operates the garage according to its website, did not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment on the collapse or Bragg’s investigation, nor did the company owner Lance Howard.
Bragg’s spokesperson Kay Nguyen said the office “cannot confirm details of an ongoing investigation” when asked if prosecutors had been in touch with the owners.
The sudden and fatal collapse has left many New Yorkers concerned about the safety of their own buildings.
It’s a scary thought. New York City has more than 1 million buildings, and many of them are over a century old.
Collapses like the one at the Ann Street parking garage are rare, but tend to happen more frequently at active construction sites. The effects can be devastating, and sometimes lethal.
The city’s buildings department, housing agency and fire department perform safety inspections, often in response to complaints. The Department of Buildings encourages New Yorkers to contact 311 or visit 311Online to report unsafe construction practices or improper use of a building.
Structural engineer Eric Cowley, who is certified to inspect New York City parking garages, said everyday New Yorkers should be on the lookout for crumbling columns, cracks and exposed reinforcement material, like rebar, poking through concrete.
He recommended that residents of condos, co-ops and apartment buildings in particular call their building management companies to make them aware of any concerns.
“Just be vigilant,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any big panic out there.”
Cowley said several companies asked him to perform inspections following the collapse of a condo in Miami in 2021, mostly to assuage residents’ fears. Cowley said he expects the city and private owners to step up inspections in the wake of the parking garage collapse.
City law requires all parking garages below Central Park and on the Upper West Side to undergo inspection by the end of 2023. Inspections are required at parking garages elsewhere in the city over the next four years.
Cowley said he first focuses on the ceiling to see if anything is loose or falling, and takes note of cracks in the columns as well as the condition of the columns where they meet the ground, “because a lot of times there’s a lot of water and you get corrosion.”
If pieces are falling or people appear to be in immediate danger, New Yorkers can also call 911.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
manhattan
Manhattan parking garage collapse
eric adams
David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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