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Chris Wood, the son of the owners of Broken Angel, wrote in with an update on the story:
We had a meeting on Friday with the Department of Buildings. We were told that they would begin demolition on the building in 3 weeks from now, if we do not submit plans by an architect/engineer to bring the building to code. The city would do the work and then place a lean on the property. To have the city do the work would zero out the value of the property and leave my parents with nothing. We understand that the Department of Buildings is in a difficult situation, as there are some safety concerns with the building. We are attempting to comply with the Department of Buildings, and would like to submit plans as soon as we can get an architect/ engineer on board. If any qualified individuals are willing to work with us in this short time frame we would very much appreciate it. I can be contacted at chriswood718@yahoo.com.
Three weeks isn't a lot of time to come up with engineering plans-- and the Woods are in a tough spot: either let the city knockdown the building, or go bankrupt paying the city to do the rehab. Can anyone think of a happier solution?
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First thought: get Dave Chappelle into the fray.
It's no secret that celebrities, like them or not, do have the ability to shine the spotlight on certain causes, big or small. Given the role that Broken Angel played in his Block Party, I'd think he'd be able to help out in some respect.
Naturally, not everyone's going to agree with this, but whatever. Just offering the two cents.
I agree with ryan. Also get Michel Gondry and Marty Markowitz.
* Talk to a bank
* Get a mortgage or home-equity loan
* Hire a rush architect
* Git-r-done.
chappelle wouldn't help out.
3 weeks is not enough time for an architect or a PE to look over the building, get plans draw with a scope of work to be done and submit it to the DOB.
Looks like the city is screwing them over. I bet the DOB gives more time to remove violations to big developers.
And, Dave chappelle couldn't give a rat's ass.
Maybe a slumlord can buy it. and, The woods can retire with something.
Anyone who saw the Chappelle movie (with clips from the inside) could see this was an inevitable disaster waiting to happen. I think they're just lucky they didn't get killed in the incident. "Some safety concerns" is more than a slight understatement....I've seen treehouses made by 10-yr olds with better construction techniques.
My advice: 1) get a good lawyer 2) stall the city till you can figure out how to bring it up to code (I don't see that happening) or sell the property (including some demoltion) at a profit.
1. File for an Injunction in New York State Supreme Court.
2. Simultaneously file at the zoning board and challenge the DOB determination.
Dave Chapelle walked away from 50 million dollars. I don't think he's going to help someone whose house happened to be in a movie he made. Dude is hiiiiiiiigh.
Boo-hoo. The City wants them to take down an illegal structure that could have killed its occupants, or firefighters, or their neighbors. Give me a f*cking break.
If they had followed the rules in the first place, they wouldn't be in this situation. I guarantee that whatever they do, in terms of hiring an architect, that DOB will work with them to expedite this matter, if only because it's a high-profile case.
If the fire hadn't happened and the building had indeed collapsed and killed someone, then the DOB would've been held accountable. This building has 21 open violations against it. Shut up and get it fixed -- or tear it the f*ck down.
Partner with a developer to do a condo conversion and to incorporate elements of the existing additions. Arthur can be a contributor to the design in order to recreate portions of Broken Angel in a safe and legal manner.
These condos would sell like hotcakes, the differentiation from the cookie cutter condos that are out there would allow for a nice premium to be made by the partnership.
Woods can also take some portion of the building for the museum he wants to create. He has a ton of value here in this building, he just needs to partner with the right people to cash out and preserve his vision. It won't be the same set of sticks but his legacy can live on and he can be rewarded financially.
to #7
what is the "Zoning Board"..? I know of no such NYC institution. Do you mean BSA, or maybe City Planning?