NEW YORK (PIX11) — There are four open building violations against the parking garage that collapsed in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring several others, according to the New York City Department of Buildings.
The building collapse happened on Ann Street, between Nassau and Williams streets, around 4:15 p.m.
The century-old structure has several violations that have gone unchecked since 2003, many of which are glaring warning signs. Building investigators reported cracked concrete, loose concrete, and other hazardous violations.
“Right now there are some active violations on the building dating back to 2003, but in 2010 an application was filed, which did not indicate the violation was corrected,” said Department of Buildings Acting Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik.
A New York City law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, requires owners of parking structures to hire an engineer to inspect the building at least once every six years and file a report with the Department of Buildings.
However, it is unclear why the open violations remained unresolved and how the parking garage was able to operate despite the violations.
“We didn’t have any filed 311 complaints on the building. And as the acting commissioner of DOB indicated, it is always going to be part of the review exactly what happened here, if there were no open violations on the structure,” said Mayor Eric Adams in a statement.
Crews began demolishing the building Wednesday morning. Construction equipment was used to pull large chunks of the facade to the ground.
