Party wall NOV enforced

Owner argued that party wall defects resulted from the neighbor’s demolition. A Department of Buildings inspector observed loose stucco along a parapet and stress cracks along the exterior wall of a brownstone, located at 130 East 35th Street. Buildings issued a notice of violation to the brownstone’s owner Joseph Lipton.

At the hearing, Lipton argued that the adjacent property owner was responsible for repairing the defects, not him, because the wall was a shared party … <Read More>


Facade NOV dismissed

246 East 46th Street. Photo:Melanie Cash.

Building owner inspected facade after allotted time. Beginning in 1980, owners of buildings taller than six stories were required to conduct a critical examination of their buildings’ facade every five years. Each five-year cycle required submission of a technical report following examination. In February 1999, the Department of Buildings accepted the last of the fourth round technical reports. Building owner J.T. Tai Co., Inc. conducted a facade examination in … <Read More>


Plaza violation upheld

Four-foot tall iron fence blocked access to public plaza. After the Dept. of City Planning received complaints about an obstruction to a public plaza, a Buildings inspector was sent to the site at 733 Park Avenue in Manhattan. The inspector observed a four-foot tall iron fence surrounding the entire plaza and separating the public sidewalk from the garden area and the plaza’s walkways. The inspector issued a violation to the owner, charging it with failing … <Read More>


Hoist contractor fined $1,000

Hoist at former Deutsche Bank building had broken door and brake. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation hired Regional Scaffolding and Hoisting Co. and Safeway Environmental Corp. to assemble exterior scaffolding on the former Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty Street in Manhattan. Aside from the scaffolding, the joint venture was also hired to install a hoist for personnel and material. Lower Manhattan Development hired Bovis to deconstruct the building after the joint venture completed its … <Read More>