Last night we heard from local district leader and community activist Anthony Feliciano, who had just come from the scene of a partial building collapse at 6 Avenue B. Pieces of the building had fallen to the sidewalk, injuring a 57-year-old man. According to Feliciano, the victim suffered a broken foot and was transported to Bellevue Hopsital. After arriving at the location, Avenue B near East Houston Street, he set up makeshift barricades and called for help. Emergency crews arrived in about 20 minutes time.
In the past, EV Grieve has reported that the upper floors of this property have been vacant for many years. The ground floor liquor store closed in 2009 after the death of the owner. A complaint logged last night in the city’s Department of Buildings database reads, “FDNY requests a structural stability inspection due to papapet wall collapse.” The Environmental Control Board issued a violation.
In an email message, Feliciano wrote:
This could have been a much more dangerous issue and I’m relieved to have been in the right place at the right time… This adds emphasis to the point that we need to be more vigilant with building safety issues and anti-abandonment practices. That such a great structure has been allowed to sit empty and fall into such a state of bad repair are causes of concern that need to be addressed.
