What to Know
- Investigators looking into parking garages in the aftermath of the the lower Manhattan parking garage partially vacated four different structures due to "an immediate threat to public safety"
- The Ann Street garage was first constructed in 1925, though didn't gain a certificate of occupancy until 1957; the number of cars on the roof deck and the building are likely contributing factors
- Pace University, which evacuated two buildings on the day of the collapse, now says one building will stay closed for the semester because it shares a wall with the garage; demolition is ongoing
Citywide safety inspections conducted in the wake of last week's deadly parking garage collapse in lower Manhattan have resulted in orders to partially vacate the structures of at least four other sites.
The Department of Buildings dispatched teams to conduct sweeps of parking facilities in hopes of preventing another collapse like the one on April 18. A lone parking manager was killed in the Financial District when five concrete floors fell down stop one another, sending ashy debris clouds into the air on Ann Street.
In the 10 days since the shocking scene, inspectors completed reviews of 78 parking structures across the city. Of those, 17 of which were managed by the same company behind the Ann Street building, and the rest had open Class 1 violations regarding structural issues, DOB spokesperson Andrew Rudansky said.
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Rudansky said four facilities, two in Manhattan and two in Brooklyn, were found to have structural issues "deteriorated to the point where they were now posing an immediate threat to public safety, and left the areas of the building unsafe for continued occupancy."
Three of the identified structures were issued orders to partially shut down, while a fourth was ordered to fully vacate. The latter, a two-story Coney Island garage on Stillwell Avenue was emptied and shut down after it was found to be in "severe disrepair."
Cracked concrete and corroded slabs were discovered at sites in Battery Park, Chinatown and Park Slope; each was given partial clearance orders. The DOB has ordered each to work with a engineer to complete a structural report on their garages.
Rudansky said the orders issued will only be lifted once repairs have been made and property owners request a new inspection from the department.
The partial vacate orders came on the same day friends and family said a final goodbye to the Ann Street parking garage manager, Willis Moore. The 59-year-old's funeral was held at a church in Mount Vernon.
Moore, the lone fatality, was recovered from the rubble a day after the collapse, buried in his second-floor office when the building caved in. Those who knew him well described Moore as a "doll."
Several other workers were hurt, though none of their injuries was said to be life-threatening.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has opened an investigation into the collapse of the century-old structure, a spokesperson said, the investigation continues. Initial findings indicate the age of the building and the number of vehicles parked on the roof deck contributed to the disaster, officials have said.
Enterprise Ann Parking, which operated the garage on Ann Street, has said it is cooperating with authorities..
The owners of the building have not responded to calls or emails requesting comment.
