Evening recap: The possibility of a building collapse, unhappy Robert Pattinson groupies

Here's the story on the drama from last evening on Mott Street.

BoweryBoogie has coverage too.

Report: City inspectors give Mott Street building "clean bill of health"

Channel 7's Jen Maxfield filed this report last night about the building scare on Mott Street:

The crack between 273 and 275 Mott Street starts near the roof and shoots down more than 20 feet. It's a few inches wide already, and city officials want to know if all the rain is forcing the split even wider.

A complaint prompted firefighters to evacuate residents of 16 apartments in the two walk-up buildings for more than three hours. Megan O'Toole only moved in last month. I wish someone had told me about that when I moved in," she said.
A Sushi restaurant and clothing store were also evacuated during what should have been the busiest and most profitable part of the day.

"I wish I had the store open for the last two hours so we could be making money and not sitting out here," manager Anne Barker said. Some residents were relieved that building inspectors were taking a closer look.
Back on Mott Street, inspectors are giving the building a clean bill of health. The crack has been here on the facade for years and sensors are already installed to monitor whether it's widening. Just after nine, everyone was allowed back inside.

273 Mott St. in danger of collapsing; Robert Pattinson fans don't seem to notice

Update: As Channel 7 is reporting, city inspectors allowed residents to return to their homes around 9 p.m. Any damage to Robert Pattinson's hair is not yet known.

Two things are happening now on Mott Street between Houston and Prince.

1) 273 and 275 Mott St. have been evacuated, including the restuarant on the ground floor -- Sakura Sushi & Thai Cuisine.
2) Robert Pattinson is inside St. Patrick's Old Cathedral prepping to film a scene for "Remember Me."

Firefighters were called to Nolita/Little Italy just after 5:30 p.m. City officials evacuated the residents of the five-story building "fearing a giant bottom-to-top crack in its facade could be a prelude to disaster." (City inspectors were also called to the scene yesterday.)



You can see the crack in the building...




...and it seemed to get worse as we were standing there.



Sakura sat empty....



The building is to the north of the Cathedral grounds.



Members of the film crew were standing around. Someone said, "Here comes Channel 7." A crew member muttered, "Fuckin' great." The reporter, Jen Maxfield, asked several people for an interview. Everyone politely declined. No real sense of urgency here. Someone remarked, "This is what happens when it rains for 30 straight days." One woman asked what was happening. We were all standing looking up at the crack in the building. And someone responded, seriously: "Robert Pattinson is filming a movie!"



Meanwhile, a little bit down the street, the prep work continued on "Remember Me." A carnival scene or something. No one seem to be all that concerned that the building may collapse. "There goes a night of shooting," one crew member said of the holdup with those pesky firefighters, ConEd supervisors and city engineers. Several oblivious members of the paparazzi finally gave up their Pattinson vigil and snapped some shots of the building. One photographer said he thinks all old buildings should be torn down and replaced. The person he said this to told him to fuck off.





Most people thought the firefighters were there as part of the movie. (In case the Texas Taters' blow?) I asked a young woman if she knew what was happening. "Yes, he's inside the church."



And nevermind that many people may be homeless now. Or there's another building collapse in NYC. Oh! Lauren Hutton walked by with some shopping bags. One of the crew members shouted, "Hi Lauren!" She passed. "Damn, she still looks good." She does.