Updated: City deems 338 E. Sixth St. 'unsafe to occupy'

[Photo from Wednesday]

On Wednesday, the city put in a Vacate Order at 338 E. Sixth St., the building that has been undergoing a gut renovation these past 18 months.

Now more paperwork has arrived outside here between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... a partial vacate order with more details about the apparent danger...



As previously reported, Rory Denis, who has lived here since 1979, is the building's lone resident. He has been fighting to keep his rent-stabilized apartment during the 18 months of gut renovations.

Now he is out of a home... and Awash Ethiopian Restaurant in the commercial space is temporarily out of business.

According to the notice:

"The new metal staircase treads are not fully planked. Significant debris in apartment 4R impeding egress throughout all rooms. Falling debris from the facade of exposure #1 has caused an unsafe condition to the patrons of the restaurant ... These conditions have create [sic] a hazardous condition to the occupants and has therefore rendered Apartment 4R and Commercial Space unsafe to occupy."

Denis took landlord Nurjahan Ahmed to housing court last year after she switched off the electricity and water. Denis won the case in June 2013, which forced Ahmed to restore the services.

Given the history here, we can't imagine any scenario where this comes to a quick resolution.

Updated 5:30

EVG reader Michael Hirsch tells us that the Buildings Department issued a partial rescind of their order, allowing Awash to remain in the building and reopen tonight.

Photos by Michael Hirsch

Previously on EV Grieve:
Gut renovations enter 16th month at 338 E. Sixth St., where 1 tenant remains

Vacate order issued for East 6th Street building with lone resident

Vacate order issued for East 6th Street building with lone resident

Bad news coming from 338 E. Sixth St. today. EVG reader Michael Hirsch told us that the FDNY responded to a report of falling bricks from the building under a gut renovation between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The FDNY has requested a stability inspection here, according to DOB documents.

And now there is a Vacate Order on the building... which temporarily puts Awash Ethiopian Restaurant out of business on the lower level...



And this is on top of the three existing Stop Work Orders that the city already issued. (Despite those, we observed work continuing at the space.)



This is likely a temporary measure until landlord Nurjahan Ahmed has the sidewalk shed installed. The absence of the sidewalk shed led to the first Stop Work Order on Sept. 18.

Meanwhile, as previously reported, Rory Denis, who has lived here since 1979, is the building's lone holdout. He has been fighting to keep his rent-stabilized apartment during the 18 months of gut renovations.

Denis took Ahmed to housing court last year after she switched off the electricity and water. Denis won the case in June 2013, which forced Ahmed to restore the services.

For the time being, though, he is being displaced.



All photos by Michael Hirsch

Previously on EV Grieve:
Gut renovations enter 16th month at 338 E. Sixth St., where 1 tenant remains

Gut renovations enter 16th month at 338 E. Sixth St., where 1 tenant remains

[Photo from yesterday via EVG reader Michael Hirsch]

Three flatbed trucks with sheetrock arrived here yesterday on East Sixth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... where Rory Denis remains the only tenant in the building at 338 E. Sixth St.

He has lived in a rent-stabilized apartment here since 1979.

As DNAinfo reported last October, Denis stayed in his apartment despite the best efforts of landlord Nurjahan Ahmed.

Denis reportedly took Ahmed to housing court last year after she switched off the electricity and water. Denis won the case in June 2013, which forced Ahmed to restore the services.

Word here now is that workers have installed the new electrical wiring and plumbing. (DNAinfo reported that the gut renovations began in May 2013.)

Meanwhile, according to city records, a Stop Work Order exists on the address. Per the DOB's ALL-CAP STYLE: "CONSTRUCTION SITE UNSAFE - WORKER CONDITIONS UNSAFE."

The city issued the Stop Work Order last Thursday. Despite this, construction work continues.


[Early last evening]

Previously.

The lone tenant at 338 E. Sixth St.

Rory Denis has lived in a rent-stabilized apartment at 338 E. Sixth St. since 1979. And Denis is now the last remaining tenant in the building between First Avenue and Second Avenue that is going through a top-to-bottom gut renovation.

As Serena Solomon at DNAinfo reports, his landlord "has gutted all of the surrounding units, cut off water and electricity, and flooded the area with construction workers who make a terrible racket."

"It is a nightmare," said Denis, who can only get to his fourth-floor apartment by stepping around an active work zone. "I really feel like Chicken Little with the sky falling in."

He successfully took landlord Nurjahan Ahmed to housing court earlier this year to restore his electricity and water. Ahmed told DNAinfo that she had no choice but to temporarily turn off the services because the circa 1900-building needed repairs.

1010 WINS had a report on this last night as well.