September 28, 2009

Ceiling Collapse Shuts Down Slope Synagogue

On Thursday night a section of ceiling collapsed inside Congregation Beth Elohim's synagogue on Garfield Place and 8th Avenue, and the structural damage closed down the house of worship's sanctuary for high holiday services this weekend. The congregation held most of its weekend services at the Old First Reformed Church on Carroll and 7th Avenue. The following email was sent out on Friday about the collapse: "Sometime last night, a large section of our Main Sanctuary's balcony ceiling collapsed. The pieces of plaster are large and quite heavy. We are all so extremely lucky that no one was hurt. After House Committee Co-Chair Susan Doban called in a structural engineer for a full assessment and recommendations for next steps, we were advised that several other sections of the ceiling are compromised and that it is unsafe to sit in certain sections of the Sanctuary until repairs have been made." A Daily News story on the collapse noted that after the holidays had passed, services at Beth Elohim would be held in the synagogue's other two buildings on 8th Avenue. Beth Elohim's website says its sanctuary was completed in 1909.
Old First Reformed Church to House Congregation Beth Elohim [NY Daily News]
Congregation Beth Elohim [Official Site] GMAP

Posted by Gabby at 11:00 AM | Comments (32)
Categories: Building Collapse, Park Slope, Properties

August 11, 2009

Partial Collapse at 455 Smith Street

This report just came in from the 76th Precinct. We've dispatched a reporter and should have a post-collapse photo up within the hour. ...At approximately 10 p.m. last night, August 10, there was a partial building collapse at 455 Smith Street. An exterior wall and scaffolding collapsed onto the sidewalk and street. The building was unoccupied, and fortunately no one was injured. Seven (7) parked vehicles were damaged by the falling debris. The Buildings Department is currently assessing the structure and investigating the collapse. Update: The photos are starting to roll in above. Update 2: A reader directed us to some photos he took back in April of the building showing it was already partially demo'd. And another reader points us to this post from now-deceased blogger Bob Guskind predicting that disaster was imminent at this site, which is part of the Public Place project. GMAP
Note: images updated at 10:13 a.m.

Continue reading "Partial Collapse at 455 Smith Street"

Posted by Brownstoner at 8:58 AM | Comments (11)
Categories: Building Collapse

August 3, 2009

Flexible Standards at 5 Roebling

Construction standards? Who needs those? Certainly not the owners of 5 Roebling, another condo-turned-rental under construction. Local resident Judy McGuire let out a screed last week against the incompetence of the builders, brought on by a recent scaffolding crash. But she notes that this is only one item on a long list of follies and violations, such as when the builders "yanked out" the cable and telephone lines for the neighborhood. GMAP
It's 8pm, Do You know Where Your Scaffolding Is? [Bad Advice]
Photo by missmouseybrowns on Flickr

Posted by jscheff at 10:01 AM | Comments (4)
Categories: Building Collapse, Construction Sites, Williamsburg

July 27, 2009

132 Ryerson Update: Hole in the Wall

A tipster sent in this photo of the hole in the southern wall of 132 Ryerson Street, which started collapsing yesterday, prompting an evacuation.
Falling Bricks Cause Evacuation at 132 Ryerson [Brownstoner] GMAP

Posted by Brownstoner at 2:40 PM | Comments (5)
Categories: Building Collapse, Fort Greene

Falling Bricks Cause Evacuation at 132 Ryerson

Just around the corner from last month's building collapse at 493 Myrtle, the small rowhouse at 132 Ryerson began raining bricks on a neighboring property yesterday, causing the Fire Department and DOB to evacuate the building. According to The Local, which posted a video this weekend, the building will remain evacuated until emergency repairs, including a sidewalk shed, can be completed. “Here we go again,” said Larry Esposito, an owner of La Stalla restaurant next door and the building that houses it.
Another Crumbling Building Evacuated [NYT/Local] GMAP

Posted by Brownstoner at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)
Categories: Building Collapse, Clinton Hill

June 29, 2009

493 Myrtle Demo Update

Here's how things looked over the weekend at 493 Myrtle Avenue.
493 Myrtle Demolition Update 6/25 [Brownstoner] GMAP
No Hard Answers Yet on Myrtle Building Collapse [Brownstoner]
Four-Story Building on Myrtle Collapses [Brownstoner]
493 Myrtle, Before the Fall [Brownstoner]

Posted by Brownstoner at 3:03 PM | Comments (3)
Categories: Building Collapse, Clinton Hill

June 25, 2009

493 Myrtle Demolition Update

Here's what the scene was like at 493 Myrtle Avenue this morning at 10 o'clock.
No Hard Answers Yet on Myrtle Building Collapse [Brownstoner]
Four-Story Building on Myrtle Collapses [Brownstoner] GMAP
493 Myrtle, Before the Fall [Brownstoner]

Posted by Brownstoner at 3:30 PM | Comments (1)
Categories: Building Collapse, Clinton Hill

June 23, 2009

No Hard Answers Yet on Myrtle Building Collapse

As the 48-hour mark approaches at 493 Myrtle Avenue, there is still no definitive cause of the four-story building's collapse. At this point, the likely cause still seems to be some combination of existing structural problems related to a crack in the eastern facade of the building compounded by weeks of heavy rains. "On May 1, there was no threat of a collapse," said Buildings Commis sioner Robert LiMandri. "What changed since then? The rain and the work being done." DOB is still examining the permitting and work history and looking into whether the contractor, M & R Construction, bears any of the blame. When we stopped by the site earlier this morning, the dismantling of the neighboring building at 491 Myrtle Avenue was well underway. The most poignant detail was the children's bunk bed visible on the top floor.
Recent Repairs Are Focus in Inquiry Into Building Collapse [NY Times]
Scaffolf, Rain Eyed in B'klyn Collapse [NY Post]
Over a Dozen Tenants Left Homeless [NY Daily News]

Posted by Brownstoner at 9:30 AM | Comments (13)
Categories: Building Collapse, Clinton Hill

June 22, 2009

493 Myrtle, Before the Fall

A reader just sent in this photo of 493 Myrtle Avenue that she took on June 10, just 11 days before it collapsed.
Four-Story Building on Myrtle Collapses [Brownstoner] GMAP

Posted by Brownstoner at 10:28 AM | Comments (9)
Categories: Building Collapse, Clinton Hill

Four-Story Building on Myrtle Collapses

The four-story, white-brick building at 493 Myrtle Avenue that housed the Vesper bar on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors collapsed to the ground yesterday afternoon at around 2 p.m. According to The Local, which has a detailed account of the incident, 14 people lived in the building but none of them were seriously injured; a girl who lived next door had to be rescued by the Fire Department. The Times also reported that the Department of Buildings issued vacate orders for six buildings on the block while officials evaluate their structural condition. An official cause has not been determined, but the building had received a violation in May for a large visible crack in its eastern wall; the owner blames facade work at the building next door. In an interview on Clinton Hill Blog, an eyewitness describes the collapse as "kinda gradual" and says that the Fire Department was already on hand before the entire building was reduced to rubble. There's a great photo set here. Update: We've posted a photo of the building pre-collapse in this post. Another Update: Tish James' blog is trying to raise money for a girl who lived at 491 Myrtle and now needs clothes for her graduation on Thursday.
Building Collapse on Myrtle [NYT/Local] GMAP
4-Story Brooklyn Building Under Repair Collapses [NY Times]
Apartment Building Crashes Down [NY Post]
Building Collapse in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, Injures 4 [NY Daily News]
Eyewitness Account of the Collapse [Clinton Hill Blog]
Photo by Geralyn Shukwit

Posted by Brownstoner at 9:00 AM | Comments (29)
Categories: Building Collapse, Clinton Hill