Brooklyn building collapses after being cited by inspectors

July 2, 2020 Associated Press

A multistory building that housed a health club collapsed on Wednesday in Carroll Gardens. Photo: Kathy Willens/AP

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BROOKLYN (AP) — A multistory health club shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic collapsed into a heap of rubble on a Brooklyn street Wednesday, three weeks after building inspectors ordered a halt to some construction work at the location because of structural problems.

The three-story brick building collapsed around 4:40 p.m. in Carroll Gardens, the fire department said.

The building, which housed a gym called Body Elite, was located on the corner of Union and Court streets.

Firefighters worked the scene of the building collapse on Wednesday. Photo: Wong May-E/AP

The fire department said one person had been inside the building on the second floor, but made it out before emergency personnel arrived at the scene and was treated only for minor injuries.

Officials did not know why that person was inside the structure.

Inspectors issued a partial stop work order on June 10 for the building because of a “brick wall dangerously bulging over” a sidewalk that was left unprotected during demolition work, Buildings Department records show.

A firefighter watched as an FDNY Special Operations Command vehicle cleared rubble at the scene of the collapse. Photo: Kathy Willens/AP

The department has received a handful of complaints going back more than a decade about cracked and bulging walls at the building. In March, inspectors cited cracks in several areas of the building.

The department said it had personnel at the scene investigating the collapse.

Union & Court Realty Corp, the building’s owner, was issued a violation last year for which it paid a $3,155 fine, according to Gothamist.

The collapsed building is located on a busy street of restaurants and shops in a neighborhood of brownstones where traditional Italian bakeries and social clubs have given way in recent years to wine bars, boutique shops and farm-to-table restaurants.

See more photos, provided by the FDNY, here.