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.
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...