Monday, April 25, 2011

Please cover me

On April 14, we noted that that the DOB had taped up a new "notice of violation and hearing" outside 35 Cooper Square... According to the DOB:

BOTH ROOFS HAVE BEEN STRIPPED OF ROOFING MATERIAL TO SHEATHING SECTIONS OF LOWER ROOF ARE EXPOSED TO JOISTS ALSO NOTED

On Thursday, the Local East Village followed up and reported that developer Arun Bhatia just paid about $16,000 in fines related to the violations.

Meanwhile, the roof is still unprotected, now with a weekend of heavy rain to help it continue to rot.


David Mulkins, co-founder of the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, wrote a plea to protect the roof last Friday at the Local EV. Per the article:

[T]he roof and dormers as essential structural elements and character-defining features, are currently compromised by partial demolition and exposure to the elements. Any effort to save this building, at this point, needs to start with the basics: putting a tarp back on the roof.

A friend of EV Grieve said this is like visiting a loved one at the nursing home, and seeing him or her without a blanket.

In any event, Arun Bhatia's nonaction should tell you all you need to know about the developer's interest in possibly saving this building.
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3 comments:

  1. glammaApril 25, 2011 at 9:54 AM

    ok if they are paying 16 grand in fines rather than $100 for a tarp then obviously they are intentionally trying to destroy this building. this should seriously be punished by law. i don't thinnk the city has any kind of repurcussions in place for this kind of underhanded violation. all the developers get away with murder. really an outrageous shame.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 25, 2011 at 11:22 AM

    In a neighborhood with such rich history it is shame to see any historic building left to rot. Not only do we lose a bit of what gives the East Village its identity, it creates an eyesore as well as a pedestrian hazard. What quicker way to help this wonderful old building disappear than to have a roof in such poor condition. It is hard not to wonder if the owners/developers did it intentionally.

    ReplyDelete
  3. chris flashApril 25, 2011 at 6:13 PM

    Right on Anonymous 11:22 -- one of the problems here is that this is not their culture. What the fuck do they care about NYC history and irreplaceable architectural on the Lower East Side/Bowery?

    we wouldn't be talking about this if the Landmarks Preservation Commission would do their fucking job!!

    ReplyDelete

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