NEW YORK – In the hours since a five-story garage in lower Manhattan collapsed, killing one worker and injuring five others, there are more questions than answers about how this shocking tragedy could have happened.
New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told a news conference shortly after Tuesday’s structural collapse at the Ann Street garage near Nassau Street that it appeared to be a tragic accident and that no crime was suspected. .
So what does this mean for possible causes? While it’s still too early for inspectors or firefighters to determine a cause (people were still not allowed into the building on Tuesday night, due to its extreme instability, a place to search for possible clues would be the history of the building regarding violations.
The city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) commissioner said at the scene shortly after the collapse that the structure was five stories tall, including the basement and four stories above ground, and was being used as a car park.
According to the DOB, the building had active permits related to electrical work on the premises, although there have been no recent active violations. The building obtained its certificate of occupancy in 1957, a certification that allowed five or more cars on each floor, although footage from Tuesday’s collapse showed more than five cars on each floor, with dozens among the collapsed rubble.
A look at the building violations associated with the garage shows that most have been dealt with over decades, and the few that were still listed as open were quite old. However, these violations give some idea of the deterioration that has occurred over the years to the interior of the 1925 building, particularly in the condition of the concrete used.
The most recent open violation, according to the city’s Building Information System, shows an issue with inadequate exit doors in 2013. In 2009, inspectors noticed broken stairs and loose concrete in several places.
Nearly 20 years ago, in 2003, DOB inspectors discovered more concrete defects on the stairs, as well as an unsafe condition with cracks in the first floor ceiling, spalling concrete, caps of missing concrete on steel joists and defective concrete. cracks, according to the city’s online records. While the issues dated back nearly two decades, records did not indicate whether they had not been resolved before the collapse.
The DOB Commissioner said there was also a demand for on-site construction work in 2010 for the car lift. He did not explain why the open violations might not have been resolved if the authorized work had taken place, and the DOB is investigating the matter.
The Buildings Department also inspected the surrounding buildings to ensure they were in good structural condition after the collapse. A photo from inside a nearby building showed a hole drilled in an adjoining wall right next to the garage, overlooking the jumble of cars, concrete and dust.
The collapse prompted nearby Pace University to cancel classes, according to a tweet, and the school evacuated a residential building on Beekman Street as well as a college building on William Street. Later that evening, the DOB cleared the students to return to Beekman’s dorm.
Streets near the site of the collapse were closed off as rescuers continued to monitor the area. DOB staff will continue to investigate the cause of the collapse. The FDNY said that due to the extreme instability of the building, the investigation should be an extended operation.