BREAKING: Partial Building Collapse at 170 Smith Street
We’ve just gotten word that there has been a partial building collapse at 170 Smith Street. A reader forwarded us an alert from the MTA, since subway service underneath the building has been impacted by the accident. There are currently NYCTA emergency workers and at least one person from OEM on the scene. There has…
We’ve just gotten word that there has been a partial building collapse at 170 Smith Street. A reader forwarded us an alert from the MTA, since subway service underneath the building has been impacted by the accident. There are currently NYCTA emergency workers and at least one person from OEM on the scene. There has been no confirmation whether anyone has been injured or killed in the building. Hope to have more shortly.
Update: This just in from DOB:
Initial reports from the scene indicate the building at 170 Smith Street is in poor condition, but it has not collapsed. The building’s façade has suffered from neglect. On Tuesday, the Buildings Department issued an emergency declaration to allow the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to install a sidewalk shed. The sidewalk shed is in place, and served to catch pieces of the façade that reportedly fell from the building today. On Tuesday after the emergency declaration was issued, Buildings ordered the owner to allow the Department access to the building to make sure it’s structurally sound. The owner failed to do so, and Buildings called the Fire Department gain access to the building. Buildings inspectors and engineers remain on scene, and operations continue.
Update: Curbed has posted some good photos here.
GMAP
the kicker is amount of overpaid mta union bozos outside looking guilty as sin.
The building is fine. It is just settling a little. Solid as a rock. Yours for the rock-bottom price of 2.8 million.
Delivered way vacant!
what’s the meaning of those yellow spray-painted X’s on the facade?
If I were the owner of this building waiting for it to fall down is probably a whole lot faster and cheaper than trying to get permits to demo and build something new. I might even do something to speed the collapse along.
1:26, 1:52 & 1:55 (which I assume are the same people):
You forgot to suggest a “love in” where people who live in the wake of a neglected building can sit around, hold hands and chant willing the building back to a pristine state.
I’m also amazed with your soothsaying abilities. You are like the Amazing Kreskin because you outed 1:48 as the owner of a derelict property and as an old person. Kudos to you! I can’t wait to see you on Leno and Letterman!
Please let everone know when you’ll be on the air bending spoons with your brain.
Unbraced columns and disturbed load bearing walls will do a number on you as well.
“how does a building get to a state in which it just collapses????”
Usually, and suddenly, from disturbance of soil below the foundation by adjacent excavation. Seldomly, and gradually, by excess deflection of joists and beams. If floors collapse because of joist and beam failure, the walls become unbraced and can buckle. The latter gives you warning. The former makes adjacent construction a red flag where underpinning is imperative.
This building has been slowling falling down for about 2 years. It was just a matter of time. I have been walking on the other side of the street for over a year just for the fear that it would collapse on me
Also 1:48 there’s this newfangled thing called YouTube on which people have posted for a couple years now, video of bad construction practices, bad neighbors and bad buildings.