PHOTOS: Partial Building Collapse in Red Hook
Department of Environmental Protection sewer project undermines building, causes collapse
Photos
The digging of a sewer caused a building to partially collapse in Red Hook Friday morning.
The building, a live poultry market at 185 Columbia Street, has been evacuated along with the adjacent structures at 183 Columbia Street and 129 Degraw Street. No injuries were reported, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
City workers are digging the new sewer to relieve sewage flows into the Gowanus Canal. The project is part of the a $140 million effort to rehabilitate the canal's flushing tunnel, coordinated by the DEP.
This morning, DEP workers were drilling into the sediment beneath Degraw Street when the soil began to shift. First the sidewalk sagged, and then brick wall of 185 Columbia began to buckle. At least one person had to be rushed out of the building before the wall came down.
Work on the sewer has now been suspended. "Other than immediate stabilization work, all work in that area has been stopped until DEP can fully review the cause of the incdent and make sure it doesn't happen again," said spokesman Farrell Sklerov.
Sklerov added that the city is reaching out to help the owner of 185 Columbia Street, whose building now must be demolished. There was no word as to when residents of 183 Columbia and 129 DeGraw can return to their homes.
Dylan
3:54 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011
The sidewalk was sagging for months. DEP was advised by a citizen (in writing) repeatedly and eventually responded (in writing) that it was slight settling that would be repaired in 2013 at project completion.
Danielle
4:30 pm on Sunday, December 25, 2011
Maybe you (or whomever this citizen is) can supply the New York Times with copies of these documents. Not sure if the NYT will have an interest but, obviously, the DEP safety/review standards are deficient. It wouldn't hurt if an outside entity looked into it.
Rek & Robin
4:54 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011
This is nothing new to Columbia street, the same thing happened back in the 1970's. The city started working on a water line on columbia street and a lot of the houses started to collapse. Columbia street was basically a ghost town back in the early 80's thanks to the city. The Puerto Rican community which once occupied Columbia street was no more once the late 80's rolled around. It was pretty sad what the city did to the water front community back then.
Roger
5:22 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011
The City along with local NGO and with the blessing of the CB 6 built infill housing that was totally devoid of any esthetic considerations. It's what's keeping Columbia Street down....Except maybe a couple of private developers who built new (179 Columbia or 113 Columbia ) or rehabbed existing buildings tastefully. The new developers on the north end have started to reverse the trend.
George Fiala
6:44 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011
It was Ted Hilles and his Kings Restoration. To this day he thinks he did a good thing. The buildings were built as cheaply as possible and everyone who moved in had to make repairs to the shoddy work. Those apartments cost between $70-120 thousand back in the early 1980's and are now reselling for of course lots more.
Michael Brown
9:35 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011
Red Hook?
Roger
1:40 pm on Saturday, December 24, 2011
Nobody want to claim Columbia Street, Not Carroll Gardens, Not Cobble Hill...Not even Red Hook ...hence its designation as Columbia Waterfront District..LOL.
I am reminded of Smith Street - before it became fashionable, people in Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill disclaimed any association with it....until, of course, now... when everyone claims it as part of their neighborhood.
George Fiala
6:59 pm on Sunday, December 25, 2011
if you mean what I think, we'll be covering this also...
lois
7:33 am on Saturday, December 24, 2011
Between this disaster and the one on the Brooklyn Bridge, it was not a good day for the city and its contractors.
Louise
10:10 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Columbia St, Smith St, Atlantic Ave & Sullivan St in Red Hook was the pits..I remember as a kid growing up in the area you couldn't get a cab to come into the neighborhood. Now you can get a yellow cab, a gypsy cab and forget the bus. You pay your fare and there are no seats, everybody running down to Ikea,Fairway or just to be able to walk the streets of Red Hook..and to go down to the piers. Now we have a cruise line and remember when no body wanted Red Hook? This is a hot trendy neighborhood now days but just bring back the way it was and the area will clear out..Our landlord knew what the rents were going for in Red Hook so he got on his high horse and in so many words he wanted us out after 25 years of living there. LOL Karma will get all of the landlords who put people out...Yes Red Hook is looked on now, not with disgust but with "Hey I want that building"...