More details on the East 7th Street fire victims seeking help from their former landlord

As previously reported a few weeks back, the longtime tenants of 48 E. Seventh St., destroyed in a six-alarm fire last December, are "seeking basic decency" from the building's landlord, acclaimed futurist Faith Popcorn. 

The Post has some new information on the story. 

[T]wo of Popcorn's tenants, mother and daughter Zwenyslawa and Chrysanna Woroch, are living in a former hotel turned homeless shelter, their lawyer, James Fishman, said.

"They had no place else to go," Fishman said.

The Worochs paid $617 a month for their rent-controlled apartment, which had been in the family since 1957.

The pair filed suit in April against Popcorn's LLC, which owned the property, seeking to have Popcorn, or a subsequent owner, "take any and all actions necessary" to restore their occupancy of the apartment and maintain their rent-regulated status.

Popcorn argued in legal papers that since there is no building, she had no obligation to do so. 

"If that were true, then any landlord that wanted to terminate rent-controlled or rent-stabilized tenancies could just simply allow the building to either be burned down or not repair it or whatever," Fishman said. "That can't be right."

The insurance company for four other tenants is also suing Popcorn's LLC for $186,301 in damages, the Post reported.

The misery for the tenants started in February 2020 when a fire displaced the building's residents. No. 48, which included retail tenants Via Della Pace and Cafe Mocha and eight apartments, was under renovation this past fall and was vacant at the time of the December fire, which also destroyed the Middle Collegiate Church next door.  

The FDNY previously said that faulty electrical wiring was to blame for both fires. Workers demolished the building on Dec. 7. 

According to legal documents cited by the Post, tenants were offered $200,000 each to give up their rights to their apartments in early December. 

Photo today by Steven

Former tenants of the fire-destroyed 48 E. 7th St. want to hear from landlord Faith Popcorn

The longtime tenants of 48 E. Seventh St., destroyed in a six-alarm fire last December, are "seeking basic decency" from the building's landlord, acclaimed futurist Faith Popcorn. 

During a rally in late July across from the former building on the southeast corner of Seventh Street and Second Avenue, the residents, as well as local elected officials and housing advocates, said that they haven't received any answers from Popcorn (aka Faith Plotkin) on finding new low-income housing in the neighborhood.

"This building was our home. Three generations of our family grew up at 48 E. Seventh St. and have helped build this community," said Cathy Barna. "Now we are really struggling to find affordable housing in this neighborhood." 

The misery for the tenants started in February 2020 when a fire displaced the building's residents. No. 48, which included retail tenants Via Della Pace and Cafe Mocha and eight apartments, was under renovation this past fall and was vacant at the time of the December fire, which also destroyed the Middle Collegiate Church next door.  

Before the December fire, the displaced tenants were hoping to be back in the building this fall, according to the Cooper Square Committee, which organized the late-July rally with TakeRoot Justice.

There were approved work permits dated from last Oct. 29 on file with the DOB. According to the permits: "Repairs due to fire; interior non-structural demolition, removal of damaged floor and roof framing, replace damaged floor and wall joists, reconstruct floor and roof joists, reconstruct roof joists, reconstruct roof bulkhead, repair interior stairs ... install new windows, installation of new roof." 

The FDNY previously said that faulty electrical wiring was to blame for both fires. Workers demolished the building on Dec. 7. 

Now, 17 months out of their homes, the tenants said they want to "open lines of communication and to move forward stalled negotiations." 

The Cooper Square Committee stated that many of the tenants are senior citizens who had lived in the building for 60 or more years. Other tenants raised their families here, and all of them have deep roots in the community. (There were four rent-regulated units left in the building — three rent-controlled and one rent-stabilized). Tenants — or their family members — from three of the units spoke at the rally.)

"On top of COVID and dealing with personal health issues, the last thing we thought is that we would lose our home of 60 years," said resident Oksana Lopatynsky.

"All my friends are here in NYC," said Donna Czechowycz. "I'm living in an area where I don't know anyone. It's difficult for someone in their 80s to start over again." 

Elected officials also called on the landlord to provide answers to the tenants.

TY to @CooperSq for welcoming me to rally today with the displaced tenants of 48 E 7th Street in demanding accountability from their landlord.

We need Albany to pass stronger housing rights legislation for all NYers. I'll stand with tenants - my neighbors - until it's done. pic.twitter.com/jLagri1wuA

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) July 28, 2021

Said Rivera: "I stand with Cooper Square Committee and the tenants of 48 E. Seventh St. to say enough is enough, and that their landlord Faith Plotkin must stop hiding and come to the table with real answers about the future of their homes. These tenants have been struggling for over a year ... They've been waiting, amidst COVID-19, in flux ... and even basic questions about the building itself remain unanswered. They don't deserve this, and we won't rest until they receive the housing justice they deserve."

Popcorn, whose Facebook page lists that she was born in the East Village, reportedly owns several other buildings in the neighborhood. 

According to public records, No. 48 has been in the Plotkin family for generations. Her sister, the late Mechele Flaum, was also an owner. The first entry for the building in property records is from 1969, where Plotkin's parents — the former Clara Storper and George Plotkin — took over the building from Rose Storper.

Popcorn is a futurist, author and founder and CEO of the consulting firm BrainReserve. Popcorn's office did not respond to an EVG query for comment. She also did not respond to calls from amNY and The Village Sun, who also reported on the rally and displaced tenants. 

"In the darkest days of the pandemic, these community members were also dealing with the destruction of their homes by fire. They had to live through the trauma of not one but two fires," Brandon Kielbasa, director of organizing and policy at Cooper Square Committee, said in a statement. "Now, as these folks attempt to regain a footing, communication from their landlord has become inconsistent and negotiations have stalled."

Photos courtesy of the Cooper Square Committee

The latest from the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church: the New York Liberty Bell survives

Here are the latest developments about the Dec. 5 fire that destroyed the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street. (You can find all of our coverage via this link.)

For starters, on Friday, the FDNY said that faulty wiring at 48 E. Seventh St. was to blame for the six-alarm fire that destroyed the neighboring Middle Collegiate Church. An FDNY spokesperson told 1010 WINS that the fire has been deemed "non-suspicious." 

Myles N. Miller at NBC 4 reported that witnesses in the area first started smelling smoke around midnight. However, the first 911 call didn't come in until several hours later when a cab driver saw flames rising from No. 48.

The Fire Marshall has concluded their investigation, but we do not yet have the official written report. What we've been told is: It has been confirmed that the fire originated in the building to our north and the cause was electrical in nature.

— Rev. Jacqui Lewis, PhD (@RevJacquiLewis) December 12, 2020

Over the weekend, workers started removing the church's east-facing (back) wall in order to stabilize the site, according to the Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at the Middle Collegiate Church. (Photo below via Steven)

We will have more to say to our community and to the press once we see the official report. In the meantime, we offer prayers of thanksgiving that there were no fatalities.

— Rev. Jacqui Lewis, PhD (@RevJacquiLewis) December 12, 2020

In some positive news, the steeple remains intact, which is where the New York Liberty Bell had hung in the belfry. The bell appears unharmed ...

As work continues to stabilize @middlechurch, our engineers have found that the church’s historic “New York Liberty Bell” was not damaged during last week’s devastating fire.

DOB engineers remain on site to monitor & assess the stability of the structure. pic.twitter.com/v5BPwuIUGl

— NYC Buildings (@NYC_Buildings) December 12, 2020

Our bell will ring again, and our love is still ringing. pic.twitter.com/BLofkL4HmT

— Middle Church (@middlechurch) December 13, 2020

Some history of the bell via the Times:

It is about 25 years older than the cracked Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, according to a 1959 New York Times article.

Cast in Amsterdam in 1729, the bell was rung in 1735 to celebrate freedom of the press after John Peter Zenger, a German journalist, was acquitted of charges of seditious libel. He had published criticism of British tax collectors, according to the Times article.

It also was rung on the day that Representative John Lewis died in July and a week after the presidential election to celebrate "that love and justice" prevailed... 

Buildings Department officials said that they continue "to monitor and assess the stability of the remaining structure of the church, including the façade and the steeple, while cleanup operations are still underway." 

In one other development, Gothamist reported that there was a small fire at the scene on Saturday morning.

Around 9 a.m. Saturday, "something sparked up and the units that were on the scene did what they were supposed to do, which is just put some water on it," said a FDNY spokesperson who declined to give his name. The flare-up was so minor that the FDNY personnel on scene did not transmit a fire alarm, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Church officials have started the rebuilding process (donation link here) ...

 

Report: Faulty wiring caused fire that destroyed SE corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street

Faulty wiring at 48 E. Seventh St. was to blame for the six-alarm fire last Saturday morning that destroyed the Middle Collegiate Church, FDNY officials said yesterday. 

An FDNY spokesperson told 1010 WINS that the fire has been deemed "non-suspicious." 

The five-story building, which has been demolished, had been vacant since another fire this past Feb. 10. Faulty electrical wiring was also the blame for that three-alarm fire, FDNY officials said. 

No. 48, which included retail tenants Via Della Pace and Cafe Mocha, was under renovation this fall. 

There were approved work permits dated from Oct. 29 on file with the DOB. According to the permits: "Repairs due to fire; interior non-structural demolition, removal of damaged floor and roof framing, replace damaged floor and wall joists, reconstruct floor and roof joists, reconstruct roof joists, reconstruct roof bulkhead, repair interior stairs ... install new windows, installation of new roof." 

The estimated cost of repairs, per the permit: $1.2 million. It was unclear how far along workers were with renovations. In a Facebook post this week, a longtime tenant from one of the building's four rent-controlled units said they were planning on moving back in next summer. 

Meanwhile, workers have mostly cleared away the remains of No. 48.

And here's a quick video clip showing the work yesterday...

Updated 12:30 p.m. 

A detail from Myles N. Miller at NBC 4...

BFI sources say witnesses in the area first started smelling smoke around Midnight, Saturday. However the first 911 call wasn’t until hours later when a @nyctaxi driver saw flames rising from 48 E. 7 and pulled over to report it.

— 𝐌𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐍. 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 (@MylesMill) December 12, 2020

More of the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church comes into view

Workers continue to haul out the remains of 48 E Seventh St. at Second Avenue... which is providing for a better view of the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church structure... these photos are from around 3:45 today... (hopefully we'll get some much better shots tonight when the corner is flooded with the spotlights) ...

Hope remains that the remaining structure is stable, and can remain in place ahead of a rebuild... there hasn't been any official word about this to date...

The 128-year-old church was all but destoryed during the early-morning, six-alarm fire on Saturday.

The church is currently fundraising on its website to help rebuild. 

Workers have demolished the remains of fire-damaged 48 E. 7th St.

Here's a noontime look at the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street... the former 48 E. Seventh St., which once housed Cafe Mocha and Via Della Pace in the retail spaces, is now mostly rubble... Steven took these photos...

The Middle Collegiate Church's façade remains standing, and there is hope that it can be saved...

This is a view from Seventh Street...

Second Avenue remains closed at St. Mark's Police... the NYPD is directing southbound traffic over to Avenue A.

Updated 6:30 p.m. 

A few early evening photos...

Updated 7:30 p.m. 

And via 7th Street Neighbor...

Previously.

Fire-damaged Via Della Pace unsure about reopening on 7th Street; Cafe Mocha in bad shape

[Photos yesterday by Steven]

A day after the three-alarm fire tore through 48 E. Seventh St. at Second Avenue, residents and business owners faced the grim task of assessing the damage.

The owners of Via Della Pace on Seventh Street posted this message on Instagram about their very uncertain future:

We are deeply saddened that our restaurant, Via Della Pace, was involved in a fire yesterday. Everything was completely destroyed, and we were unable to salvage our precious items. We are holding onto the good memories of serving our wonderful clients and will always remember the fun times we shared over a good meal.

As of now, we are unsure whether we will continue with our restaurant business. We will keep you updated, and we are so thankful for your support and love.

The rustic Italian cafe opened in 2001.

Meanwhile, on the corner, Cafe Mocha, which opened in 2008, looks to be in bad shape with extensive water damage...









[Updated 5 p.m.] The restaurant, with a sidewalk cafe that draws a crowd in warm-weather months, posted this update to its website:

Due to a fire above Cafe Mocha we will be temporarily closed while we assess the severe damages. For our neighbors and customers, we appreciate your loyalty all these years. We remain hopeful that we will reopen to continue serving our friends and families.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Five firefighters were treated for minor injuries. None of the residents were said to be injured. One tenant of the building said on an EVG Facebook post that "all tenants and animals are safe and sound."

Early morning look at the fire-damaged SE corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street

Here's a 6 a.m.-look at the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street following the three-alarm fire that started here yesterday afternoon shortly before 4...



A lone police car is on the scene...



FDNY officials said that the fire started on "a lower floor" of the five-story building and spread up to the top floor before it was extinguished by about 140 firefighters, according to published reports. The cause is under investigation. Five firefighters were treated for minor injuries.

Here's more via the Post:

The owner of Cafe Mocha, the ground-floor restaurant, said he smelled the fire before the building went up in flames.

"I was in the restaurant and we smelled the fire coming from the bathroom. We smelled it, I think, coming through the shaft," owner Ghasan Ballan said.

"I feel bad for the residents, they have no home," he added.

No other word at the moment on the status of the two retail tenants here — Cafe Mocha and Via Della Pace ... or the displaced tenants of the building with 15 units.

One report said that the building suffered extensive interior damage.

Updated 8:30 a.m.

One tenant of the building left this comment on our Facebook post:

I am a tenant of the building. Live on the top floor. Thank you all for your concern. All tenants and animals (including my 2 cats) are safe and sound. Thankfully my family is blessed with much love and support from family, friends and neighbors. According to my super, building has much smoke and water damage. Will take about a year to restore the building.