More details are emerging about the parking garage that collapsed in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring several more.
The partially collapsed building at 57 Ann Street racked up dozens of violations for decades, ABC 7 reported. Four of those violations remained open when the building — owned by Western Carpet and Linoleum — partially crumbled earlier this week.
The open violations vary in severity and it’s unclear if any can directly be linked to the incident. They include lack of a proper fire exit in a stairwell, broken and defective stairs and defective exit lighting.
In 2003, ownership was cited for missing concrete on the first-floor steel beams, as well as exposed rear cracks. That violation remains open. The property’s owner, which has not publicly commented on the collapse, paid $2,500 in fines for the various open violations, but there’s no public documentation regarding fixes.
Tuesday’s collapse of the century-old building killed the 59-year-old manager of the facility, who could not be extracted from the rubble until Wednesday. Seven others were hospitalized, most of whom have been treated and released.
There were more than 50 cars parked on the roof, which collapsed onto the rest of the building. Crews have started to remove the cars, which will then allow them to slowly raze the rest of the property.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is among those launching investigations into the incident at the four-story structure. Details of the probe have not been revealed.
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The building is owned by a company linked to the owners of Brooklyn-based Western Carpet and Linoleum, while the parking garage is managed by Little Man Parking, according to Gothamist. It’s unclear if either company or its leadership will face charges in the deadly accident.
The collapse comes one year after the city strengthened its code regarding parking garage inspections. All parking garages below Central Park and on the Upper West Side need to be investigated by the end of the year, while others across the city need to be inspected in the next four years.
— Holden Walter-Warner