A construction worker from Ditmas Park fell to his death in SoHo yesterday. Adrien Zamora, 28, was three stories up working on the facade of a low-rise luxury building at 450 Broome Street when he slipped from the scaffolding. His death comes four months after one of the contractors at the site was cited for "failure to safeguard all person and property." According to the DOB report, a worker dropped a wrench from the eighth floor scaffolding and hit a pedestrian. (That violation was dismissed last month.) more ›

The 30-year-old construction worker who was trapped in a sinkhole yesterday and had to be rescued with a vacuum truck is in stable condition and is expected to recover. According to WPIX, rescuers were concerned because each time they attempted to extract the man, he would sink deeper into the mud, and at one point had soil covering his chest. "I just kept whispering in his ear, 'you're doing fine, doing fine,'" firefighter Tim O'Toole said. "The biggest problem was, he kept slipping down. There was a void underneath him." Still want to complain your office is out of K-Cups? more ›

Back in February we were oh so very happy to report that a second 2nd Avenue Deli was to open on the Upper East Side as soon as Passover. But the celebration of the Jewish exodus from Egypt has come and gone and still no new 2nd Avenue Deli! So we called up the mothership on 33rd Street and asked what the story was. They aren't saying, was the gist of the reply from the nice woman on the other end of the line. “Forces beyond our control” have delayed the opening, she explained. But what are these forces they can't control? more ›

Did you ever have a ham radio when you were a kid? Or see Contact? If not, this is a reminder that it's "the licensed and private use of designated radio bands, for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication." Paul Isaacs of the East Village has one, including a 30-foot radio tower that he insists was installed legally and licensed by the FCC. But neighbors who want it taken down complain that it's too tall, and the DOB recently issued a violation on the antenna. more ›

While the decision to pull the plug on Coney Island's Bank Building is irreversible, it's current half-demolished state is now frozen for the time being. Amusing the Zillion reports that they've postponed their funeral service for the historic building, which was expected to be nothing but dust in two weeks time, because the Department of Buildings has issued a stop work order. more ›

While the known universe was focused on the all-important "Ground Zero Mosque" fracas, the Department of Buildings has quietly pulled their approval of an Islamic community center proposed for Sheepshead Bay, just two days after approving it. And despite reasoning that it could cause parking problems or noise issues, property owner Allowey Ahmed is convinced the DOB caved to pressure from anti-Islamic locals. “It’s only common sense to assume that,” he told the Brooklyn Paper. “We lowered our plan from four floors to three out of deference to our neighbors. And now everything is on hold again." more ›

After a resident's fatal fall from a 24th floor balcony, a Midtown East apartment building has come under fire for failing to inspect its exterior and balconies as required. Now some of its residents are showing the media its shaking railings and complaining about its stability. One told the Post, "You can see the foundation crumbling. The railing is wobbly and insecure. The railing is loose; the side isn't even attached." more ›

The nightmare on Jane Street continues, though it still remains uncertain if the real nightmare is the Jane Hotel, or the wealthy NIMBYs who are unleashing every city agency upon their new neighbor. more ›

The city building code requires that wires pass through a fireproof conduit made of metal collars between floors, but a licensed master electrician with contracts at four Midtown hotels was caught using wood instead. Each metal collar costs $350, so it's likely that electrician Robert Spallino was able to cut costs by using wooden versions. It's also likely that the collars were flammable, being made of wood and all. A DOB source tells the Post that Spallino even painted the collars "a dark color in the hopes that they would go undetected." Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri says, "This contractor was willing to put people's lives in danger in order to save a few dollars, and his actions must not go unpunished." You might think the punishment would end Spallino's career, but he's just been suspended for a year. And the suspension won't begin for another eight months so he can close out existing contracts. Way to send a message, DOB! The wooden fakes have all been replaced with metal collars; they were found at the Garden Chelsea Hotel, the Holiday Inn on West 26th Street, the Sheraton Midtown Hotel on West 40th Street, and the Fairfield Inn on West 40th Street. more ›

A $4 million study released by the Department of Buildings finds that the department isn't that great! The study was prompted by last year's numerous construction fatalities and, according to the Daily News, the study found that "Buildings Department inspectors are poorly trained, inspections are frequently slipshod and fines are routinely laughed off as 'the cost of doing business.'" Other ringing endorsements: "Inspectors are currently not uniformly equipped to judge the acceptability of common unsafe conditions" and there is "no current method to confirm that crane repairs restore [a damaged] crane to proper working condition." The study made dozens of recommendations to the DOB, which has already started incorporating them. more ›

The city's Department of Investigation says that the Fire Department and Department of Buildings failed to inspect the former Deutsche Bank building in the months leading up to the August 2007 seven-alarm fire that claimed two firefighters' lives. For instance, a DOB inspector told his supervisor that there was a breach in a water standpipe, but the supervisor allegedly told him to leave it out of his report. The Daily News points out, "If the test had been carried out, inspectors would have discovered a more serious issue with the standpipe - preventing the tragedy that claimed firefighters Joseph Graffagnino Jr. and Robert Beddia." The DOI report also reiterated claims that the FDNY didn't inspect the building as it should have, "Everyone had tunnel vision." Graffagnino's father lamented to the News, "Why didn't they do anything about it? They couldn't do anything right." You can read the whole report here (PDF). more ›

Once word spread that Bob Dylan's former room at the Hotel Chelsea (#211) was being destroyed by the new corporate overlords running the joint, a brand spankin' new Stop Work Order was delivered by the Dept. of Buildings. The residents there report that they "responded promptly when informed of this wanton destruction, determining that the 'work' being done exceeded the scope of the permit (which was just for bathroom and kitchen renovation), and issuing a FULL STOP WORK ORDER covering the entire building." Allegedly they were "pulling down walls and ripping out a mantelpiece" prior to the halt. The times they aren't a changin' just yet...but perhaps a full restoration is in order to eliminate that electric light blue wall color. more ›

The bloggers over at the Hotel Chelsea have been keeping an eye on the new management of their ever-changing home, and most recently noted some falsified DOB construction permits obtained "in a move designed to sidestep requirement for certificate of non-harassment." more ›

Last year, the former Deutsche Bank building was in the process of being dismantled when a fire broke out on August 18. It escalated into a seven-alarm blaze, and two firefighters died after when their oxygen tanks were depleted. It turned out a construction worker's smoking caused the fire, but there were a host of other problems, from the dismantled standpipe (which brings water up in case of fires), blocked exits, and a lack of inspections to make sure the dismantling was being handled carefully. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg is making acting Building Department commissioner Robert LiMandri the permanent commissioner. LiMandri has headed the DOB after previous commissioner Patricia Lancaster stepped down after a month after the March 15 crane collapse. City Room points out that the City Council paved the way for the expected promoting by changing the requirements needed for the job. Now commissioners do not need to be licensed engineers or architects--LiMandri "has an engineering degree, but is not licensed." More about LiMandri here. more ›

Greenpoint's Studio B has allegedly been shut down; good news for some neighbors, bad news for some patrons. The Brooklyn Paper writes of its demise, saying it has "now been shut down by the Department of Buildings — but club lawyer Ken Fisher says the club has fixed whatever led to the failed inspection." No specifics have leaked, but the DoB shut the club down on July 31st, following the CB1 meeting that ended in a vote against the club's cabaret license. One local told the paper, “It’s gratifying to know we won’t have any problems for a while. But it’s not as if I’m wishing the club disappeared off the face of the earth forever. I look forward to see what’s going to happen next.” Probably not a popular opinion amongst most residents, who have been trying to shut the club down since it opened its doors in 2006. Meanwhile, Fisher says he's awaiting the DoB to re-inspect the establishment. more ›

The site of the 43-story tower at the corner of East 51st Street and Second Avenue may remain a partially built tragic reminder of the fatal March 15 crane collapse for a long while, because the developer's lender has started foreclosure action against him. Apparently developer, FDNY veteran James Kennelly, hasn't paid $70.4 million in loans; though he couldn't attempt to get new financing, bankers tells the NY Times it's harder for developers to get loans these days. After the crane collapse, it was revealed the building's plans should never have been approved by the Buildings Department in the first place, and though the DOB and Kennelly were working out a compromise, the DOB revoked the site's building permit in June. more ›

Yesterday, a construction worker died after being thrown from a small crane on Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens. A truck had crashed into it, and witnesses say there were "no warning cones around it, and the boom started swinging back and forth." Two workers who had been wearing safety harnesses survived, the worker who died was reportedly not wearing a hardhat. The truck's driver was not issued a summons, as the police believe the driver "simply lost control," while the Buildings Department issued a stop work order at the site for other violations. more ›

The Department of Buildings suspended Michael Carbone, a senior DOB crane inspector, for "neglect of duty." The Post actually contacted the DOB, noting he "had cleared several complaints last year that claimed unqualified operators were working in the industry and that some of their licenses were fraudulent." In fact, a caller or callers kept complaining about crane operators not having licenses or obtaining them fraudulently. Last month, a top DOB official was arrested for giving crane operator test answers to crane companies in advance. more ›

The East 51st Street condominium site where a crane collapsed into buildings--completely leveling a townhouse and killing seven--had its construction permit revoked. A month after the March 15 collapse, it was revealed plans for the 43-story building should never have been approved by the Department of Buildings (it's possible revised plans could still have been approved), so the developer James Kennelly was asked to resubmit plans. more ›

Dozens of families that occupied approximately 30 apartments in an East Harlem apartment house found themselves out on the street yesterday, with what little belongings they could gather together as they were hustled from their homes. The Dept. of Buildings condemned the structure on 2nd Ave. and 120th St., noting that several partitions had recently been removed from the building's basement, causing the building's floor to sag in a sign of potential imminent collapse. more ›

Some West Village restaurants can’t catch a break this week; first an old water main broke and flooded them out during Memorial Day weekend, now the city has been stone cold shutting them down. Eater has it that the Department of Health ordered Diablo Royale on West 10th Street to close yesterday for “unsanitary conditions” – a tipster says the inspectors faulted the restaurant’s flooded basement. Now the swank bar/restaurant Employees Only has gotten the hammer. The DOB’s sign on the door reads:

The Department of Buildings has determined that conditions in this premises are imminently perilous to life. This premises has been vacated and reentry is prohibited until such conditions have been eliminated to the satisfaction of the department.

The Department of Buildings has allowed architects and engineers to "self-certify" their plans and alterations, to help with getting the tens of thousands of buildings pending permits fast-tracked. But after recent outcry, the DOB has re-reviewed many plans, finding over 80% are "plagued with zoning violations." more ›

With Patricia Lancaster's resignation as Buildings Commissioner after a series of high-profile construction-related fatalities and department snafus, the reaction is one of relief from some politicians while developers are sad. more ›

A construction worker at an East 67th Street condominium construction site fell to his death this morning. The worker had been installing windows at the 23rd floor, and he fell onto a 14th floor balcony. more ›