4 More Garages Ordered Vacated In Downtown Manhattan During DOB Sweep
After the fatal collapse of the garage at 57 Ann St. in the Financial District on April 18th, Department of Building (DOB) inspectors have been engaged in a thorough sweep to root out faulty structures. Four new garages–in addition to two already reported on by Our Town Downtown–have since been ordered to partially or fully vacate in downtown Manhattan.
| 17 May 2023 | 11:54
The exterior of the 228 E. 9th St. location partking garage that was ordered to completely vacate and remove all cars. Photo: Google Street View. (
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The exterior of the 148 Madison St. location, which received a partial vacate order. Photo Credit: Google Street View. (
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The exterior of the 14 S. William St. location, which received a partial vacate order. Photo Credit: Google Street View. (
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The exterior of the 160 W. 10th St. location, which received a partial vacate order. Photo Credit: Google Street View. (
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Six garages in downtown Manhattan have been ordered to fully or partially vacate, including one in Little Ukraine–operated by the same company responsible for the garage that collapsed on April 18th, killing one person–which has been ordered to fully vacate.
That garage at 228 E. 9th Street was ordered shut by the Department of Buildings (DOB) with a full vacate order and all vehicles were ordered to be removed immediately. The DOB found steel reinforcement beams and cracked or spalling concrete was widely visible, and the garage was said to be in a “state of disrepair.” The agency also found column bases that were crumbling, and vertical cracks were seen inside the elevator shaft and masonry.
Manhattan residents have been warily eyeing what structures they park their cars in since the April 18th collapse. As of presstime, ten of these partially vacated garages are located in Manhattan, with six of the deficient structures located in downtown Manhattan south of 14th St.
Two had already been reported closed by Our Town Downtown, at 225 Rector Place in Battery Park City and 50 Bayard St. in Chinatown. Four new partially or fully vacated structures have since been identified.
In the latest closures a partial vacate order was issued for a commercial garage at 14 S. William St. in the Financial District. DOB engineers said they discovered corrosive and rusted structural beams throughout the building’s seven floors, as well as spalling concrete on the ceilings and clogged floor drains creating a pool of standing water on the top floor. There were also concerns about a possible ceiling collapse, triggering the order.
In Greenwich Village, a partial vacate order was issued for a two-story garage at 160 W. 10th St., where wooden joists and steel girders were found to be damaged. Sheet metal was also found hanging from the ceiling, cracks were present in the walls, emergency lights were broken, and the garage was found to be exceeding the allowed capacity of cars. The vacate order for fifteen percent of the building included the cellar, the first floor, and the second floor.
On the Lower East Side, a partial vacate order was issued at 148 Madison St. for an eleven-story mixed-use residential building, with a parking garage in the cellar operating at more than double its capacity. The DOB found 71 vehicles crammed into the garage, which only has a Certificate of Occupancy permitting 31 vehicles. Inspectors also found cracks on walls, the cellar ceiling, and on brick columns, and said that concrete was spalling in multiple locations. The partial vacate order did not affect the residential area of the building.
Four other garages were hit with partial vacate orders elsewhere in Manhattan. On the Upper East Side, these included: a two-story commercial garage at 220 E. 117 St. and a thirteen-story mixed-use residential building at 434 E. 80th St. Two garages also faced partial vacate orders in the Chelsea area; these were a six-story commercial garage at 310 W. 39th St. and a nine-story parking garage at 143 W. 40th St.
In the collapse on Ann Street on April 18th, the 59 year old general manager, Willis Morris--who had worked at the garage for 30 years--was killed in his office. Five other garage workers were injured and adjoining buildings had to be evacuated.