BREAKING CurbedWire: Atlantic Yards Building Partial Collapse
Thursday, April 26, 2007, by Robert
PROSPECT HEIGHTS--Just into our inbox a photo of some significant loss of parts of Ward's Bakery at 800 Pacific Street in the Atlantic Yards footprint. The tipster who sent the image writes about:
A partial collapse not 20 minutes ago...Seems the parapet which was at the top of the building (duh) fell off following the start of demolition work on the building and heavy rains. No less than 11 firetrucks, 50 firemen, 3 FDNY emergency response vehicles and they just set up a cute little whiteboard to figure out their plan of cleanup. Nobody was walking underneath and as the building is slated for demolition it was empty so no injuries. Several cars were damaged.
This one hadn't even made it into the Curbed
Building Collapse Betting Pool. [Curbed Wire Inbox]
UPDATE 11:35AM: Reports of some nearby evacuations as a precaution from 7Online and Develop Don't Destroy wastes no time in asking, "Can the neighborhood look forward to this quality of work from Forest City Ratner for the next 20 - 40 years?"
UPDATE 11:52AM: A tipster on the scene emails, "I'd like to point out Atlantic Yards visible on the left side of the image. Somebody is going to hang for this as it's a major screw up." More images from the scene coming soon.
UPDATE 1:53PM: Our tipster checks back in with the above and below photos, and this note: "They started clearing and the women's shelter next door will have to stay evacuated until they remove the parapets on the remaining 3 sides. All the news people turned out."
UPDATE 2:35PM: The just-turned-one-year-old! Gowanus Lounge has a solid update on community reaction. NoLandGrab is also all over the story.
UPDATE 3:36PM: Ah, there it is—the press release in our inbox from Dan Goldstein and the Develop Don't Destroy crew. Cue Goldstein: "We simply don't believe that the building was unstable, that is until Ratner's contractors went in; in fact, Ratner apparently studied the structural integrity of its holdings in the footprint just a year ago, and concededly found no basis for concern with regard to the Ward Bakery. Had they thought the building was unstable, you have to believe that Ratner would have taken at least the precautionary measure of placing protective sidewalk sheds along the building in order to safeguard the community." The full release is posted in full at the DDDB site.
UPDATE 5:30PM: Blogger Brit in Brooklyn posts a bunch of great photos from the scene, like the one above, to the Curbed Photo Pool. More at Brit in Brooklyn.
Ohoh,
Whats his face from DDDB better call his daddy so he can get some cash to mount an appropriate PR camp-pain about the dangers of construction in an inner city 'hood....
I wonder how many minutes will pass before Dan Goldstein and Patti Hagan are out there, shrieking and frothing and exploiting this to further their cause.
Glad no one was injured.
since when is atlantic yards the inner city hood?
i gather you must live on 73rd and 5th in the penthouse?
each one of whom costs more than all Anti-Ratner combined better speedd ial Dan Doctoroff, the NY Times, etc.
Q: how much will Ratner pay to settle these lawsuits too?
(HINT: it's your money he'll use to pay.)
Too bad that drunk fucking troll Marty Markowitz wasn't waddling by when-- must have been in the car while his goddamn DRIVER went inside for another twelve-pack.
peace, gods--
Ratner's Cunt Mouthpiece
Funny, the union rat was set up outside the building next door protesting Boymelgreen. Too bad they weren't parked a little closer...
Building collapse today, "road collapse" on 5th Ave in the project footprint yesterday...
...who cares.
And I'd like to point out that "Atlantic Yards," is nowhere to be seen in this (or any other) photograph, because IT DOESN'T EXIST. Those rail yards have a name, yes, they are called the Vanderbilt Yards -- Atlantic Yards is the name given to the proposed project, not the rail yards themselves.
The Wards Bakery building should have been given landmark status - if anything, it would have made awesome loft condos and could have made a nice component of a new housing assemblage to be built all around these rail yards (along with the Spalding factory, converted to condos and now emptied out by BR & Co.) -- the only one to be left standing is Boymelgreen's Newswalk Building, the former Daily News printing plant, where owners will be treated to living amidst this horror and that to come -- what joy!
This is sooooooo Brooklyn. What a bunch of hacks. Parapet walls are The most vulnerable part of a building during demolition work. Where's the frakin side walk shed?
Get ready for numerous construction accidents and several related deaths during the next few years.
The 11:52am update is incorrect. That's the Vanderbilt Railyards on the left of the picture, property owned by the MTA- Ratner has not completed acquisition of the property.
"Atlantic Yards" does not exist. It is the developer's name for the proposal for Prospect Heights.
Thanks, Babs-- sincere. I'll give you a handjob at the corner of Classon & Pacific later tonight (if you want one).
Bring Me The Head of Charles Gargano,
BR
uh guys you are really throwing a wrench in ratner's plans by telling us all that its vanderbilt yards... you sound more and more desperate. hire some high school debate team at least will ya?
Let the nimbot vultures begin their feeding frenzy! I'm sure this will be bring every nimby out of their slumber.
These Ratner hacks that come on anonymously always make themselves sound like fools. YOU'RE DESTROYING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!
I need a helmet that says Deputy Chief.
This building isn't even under demolition yet. What was being done was preparation for asbestos abatement. Demo on the Ward's Bakery building isn't scheduled until June.
But isn't it interesting...here's another structure that the opponents say is perfectly safe (and are claiming should be landmarked), and here it is practically collapsing by itself.
The very definition of 'blighted'!
Hey Mike-
Last year, when Ratner tore down some other buildings, he didn't allow independent inspectors. So it looks like Ratner is the one who is being arbitrary- tearing down some buildings when it suits him, and letting others stand, even if they are structurally unsound.
I have no idea how sound any of these buildings are or were. And nobody knows, including Ratner it seems.
The City and State have already given Ratner $305,000,000 in subsidies- can't he hire an inspector? If we the taxpayers are going to fork over so much cash, shouldn't we some oversight into the properties that are supposed to be a "civic project"?
What we have here is classic "developer's blight." In a super-hot real estate market, Ratner has sat on properties and destroyed them or let them deteriorate. Given fair market forces, this would never have happened. But because Ratner has gotten a free pass, crap like this happens.
Some more fact checking, Mike. The residents and community activists have not been claiming that the buildings were safe, just that they should be preserved.
It's true that many people want the building landmarked, but generally landmarked buildings are, well, old.
Hey 'facts kinda matter': Here's a fact that kind of matters: Bruce Ratner owns these properties. They are not landmarked or protected in any way. Ratner has the right to tear them down if he so chooses, and neither you nor anyone else who isn't Bruce Ratner has the right to inspect them before hand. Those are the facts.
And by the way, on those buildings last year? Ratner DID inspect them, and determined they needed to be demolished. He then demolished them, as was not only his right, but his civic duty to protect the general public.
It's the obstructionists who are putting people in harm's way. Had Ratner not been blocked at every turn, these buildings would have been down long before they became unstable.
If harm comes to anyone from this, only DDDB and their cohorts are to blame.
i should have parked my car there. imagine what I coulda gotten out of ratner!
Yes because a year or so would have made a huge difference here. Regardless of any of that Mike, there is a safe way to tear down unstable buildings. If inspections were done properly they would have know about these issues well before today's collapse and taken measures. Such as maybe closing the street off while doing this, reinforcing the building to make way for demolition, etc. None of this can be put on anyone but the development firm, regardless of your politics. Hell you said it yourself, Ratner owns the buildings.... well with ownership comes responsability.
I love the official response too. Bunch of normal PR stuff but then this gem, "We’re also awaiting the outcome of an investigation by the city’s Department of Buildings so we can take any necessary action.". Wow so you f*&^d up, and now are relying on tax dollars to figure out what you did wrong? I understand the DOB will do an investigation, but maybe you should foot the bill or do your own inspection. If safety were number one concern this likely would not have happened (hell recent collapses did not give you pause and act a little more careful) and they would sepnd the $$ to look into the issue for themselves... no profit is the #1 motivator and until the DOB cracks down and shuts down those developers cutting corners, or make the fines significant enough to matter this will keep happening. Hopefully those with cars and those evacuated sue the shit out of them.
Hi Mike-
I'm glad we can agree on something. FCR certainly did inspect the buildings. My complaint is that he did not allow INDEPENDENT inspection. As I wrote above, "So it looks like Ratner is the one who is being arbitrary- tearing down some buildings when it suits him, and letting others stand, even if they are structurally unsound."
I don't know if you realize this, in New York City, owners have to get permission to demolish a building, even if they own it.
Ratner did not schedule the destruction of the Ward Bakery Building until June. So it's a stretch to blame the delay on the residents demanding a transparent process. The facts on the ground happen to be debris from Ratner's building- the failure to have an awning around the building will cause much more of a delay than the neighborhood activists.
Mike's comments are hilarious. He's blaming DDDb for the damage caused by Ratner! Talk about spin.
Maybe he's rying out for a position on their PR dept :)
or maybe he is sick of all these hipster idiots acting as if the railyards (and the surrounding bldgs) in d/town brooklyn are the taj mahal.
nowayman, except that has nothing to do with a developer doing a shit job. Regardless of how you feel on the subject (idiots on both sides of that arguement) half-assing the tearing down of a building is indefensible. The discussion should not be if he can tear it down, that is in other posts, but assuming he is, he damnw ell better do it right.
It would be great if DOB would REALLY CRACK DOWN How nice it would be if they REALLY DID THEIR JOB by making an example of the high profile FCR and putting some teeth into maintaining safety standards and not looking the other way....Alslo funny how anybuilding with any whiff of "landmark" seems to meet with some sort of accident. Golly gee I'm beginning to think it's all deliberate...
Dream on, babs.
D-O-N-E-D-E-A-L!!!
Hey Homee poster
so are you saying that we should want buildings collapsing on to sidewalks where HUMAN BEINGS walk, in our back yard?
If I'm against that then I guess I"m a nimby.
Damn you folks will support anything the ratner god does, it is down right scary.
Well hopefully the building in your back yard will crumble all over you..then you 'll be a righteous soul won't ya?!
It's the obstructionists who are putting people in harm's way. Had Ratner not been blocked at every turn, these buildings would have been down long before they became unstable.
If harm comes to anyone from this, only DDDB and their cohorts are to blame.
Um Sir..you are an idiot!!! Clearly!
Yes it's DDDB's fault that part of a building fell on the sidewalk because they didn't roll over and let Ratner f them up the ass three years ago?
You are unreal!!!!!!
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