As The Lo-Down first reported May 30, the Department of Buildings has allowed the owners of the Rivington House building to perform “exploratory work” for future renovations. A stop work order had been in place since April of 2016 at the former nursing home, where one of the biggest scandals of the de Blasio administration has played out. Now — on the same day Mayor de Blasio heads to the Lower East Side for a town hall meeting — work crews are on site to begin their explorations.
Activists with Neighbors to Save Rivington House have been on high alert since the Buildings Department approved the work permit. This morning, we received the photos you see here from Tessa Huxley, who lives next door to Rivington House. A truck from “Aquifer Drilling & Testing” arrived a short time ago. She reported hearing the sounds of jackhammers inside and witnessed workers taking soil samples.
The permit allows for the, “miscellaneous removal of areas of flooring, walls and ceiling finishes throughout the existing building in order to expose the existing structure and masonry elements… for future renovations.” In a June 6 letter to the mayor, local residents wrote, “We believe that this (work) could well do permanent damage to the property as well as foreclose options that may yet result from outstanding investigations.”
The city lifted deed restrictions on the Rivington House facility, clearing the way for Slate Property Group, Adam America Real Estate and China Vanke to purchase the building for $116 million. A luxury condo conversion is planned. The mayor has blasted the developers but insisted the city has no legal means of getting the building back for the community. The state attorney general has been investigating the matter for many months.
The mayor is hosting a town hall meeting tonight at the Houston Street Center. He’s sure to face sharp questions about his administration’s bungling of the Rivington House matter.
Meanwhile, Neighbors to Save Rivington House has urged people to call 311 to urge Mayor de Blasio to reinstate the stop work order at 45 Rivington St.
