Four parking garages were temporarily closed yesterday around New York City by the Department of Buildings (DOB) because “structural concerns required them to be vacated immediately,” in the wake of last week’s deadly collapse in Lower Manhattan.
“Engineers found unsafe conditions that included deteriorated steel beams and cracked or crumbling concrete,” he summarized. The New York Times. Owners must make necessary repairs to return to operation.
The four garages were located following proactive monitoring of 78 parking structures after the parking garage at 57 Ann Street collapsed on the night of April 18, killing facility manager Willis Moore.
The garages closed yesterday are located at:
-225 Rector Place, Battery Park City, Manhattan.
-2781 Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island, Brooklyn.
-50 Bayard Street, Chinatown, Manhattan.
-429 12th Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn.
“Following the building collapse in Lower Manhattan last week, DOB immediately began reviewing records for structures with parking facilities, in order to conduct targeted compliance sweeps of similar structures with potential safety issues or pending violations. issued by the DOB throughout the city,” said a spokesperson, quoted by ABC News.
“This work was done in the interest of public safety and out of an abundance of caution. During our sweep of 78 parking structures, we found four locations where structural concerns required areas of the buildings to be vacated immediately. These actions were taken by the Department to protect the public until the building owners can make the necessary repairs.”
The announcement came yesterday, the same day friends and family gathered for the funeral for Moore, the parking lot manager who died in the collapse. The 59-year-old man is believed to have been in his second-floor office when the garage collapsed.
Moore’s death and collapse have drawn attention to how old buildings are inspected. Demolition and cleanup will take time. Officials have said they don’t want to rush to ensure everyone’s safety.
The DOB said they are monitoring to make sure the demolition process does not cause any problems for nearby buildings or people who live and work nearby.
Meanwhile, officials allowed dozens of drivers to salvage their cars Thursday night as they had been stuck in a nearby parking lot for more than a week.