24 Harlem Buildings Named 'Most Distressed' In NYC

HARLEM, NY — Two dozen apartment buildings in Harlem have amassed so many violations that they could face emergency repairs from the city, officials announced Wednesday.

The 24 buildings — which include 577 homes — were among 250 citywide that were added this week to the city's Alternate Enforcement Program, which monitors the "most distressed" multi-family properties across the city. (Scroll down for the full Harlem list.)

Under the program, the buildings' landlords will have four months to fix thousands of open violations or face penalties. The city will step in and make "emergency repairs" at the landlord's expense if they don't meet the deadline, according to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

In Harlem, six of the buildings just added to HPD's list also appeared recently on another unfortunate ranking: the annual Worst Landlord Watchlist compiled by the New York City Public Advocate's office, the latest of which was released last fall.

They include 2866 Frederick Douglass Blvd., whose 152 open violations include infestations of mice and roaches, broken smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and leaking ceilings. Its landlord, Emmanuel Ku, had several buildings appear on the watchlist.

60 St. Nicholas Ave., owned by Mike Callaghan, also appears on both HPD's enforcement list and the Worst Landlord Watchlist. There, the 352 open violations include reports of heating outages, mold, a lack of hot water and rotting wood cabinets.

"All New Yorkers deserve safe, well-maintained homes, and landlords across the city need to know that if they are unwilling to do what is right to provide that, we will take action," HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión, Jr. said in a statement this week.

"The Alternative Enforcement Program is an effective set of tools at our disposal to hold landlords accountable when they don't do right by their tenants, and we are not afraid to use them if it means getting the city's most troubled buildings into shape quickly."

Manhattan made up less than a quarter of the latest round of distressed buildings; Brooklyn properties comprised nearly half the list, with 119 in total, followed by 72 in the Bronx, 43 in Manhattan and 16 in Queens.

In total, the 250 buildings added this week have nearly 40,000 open housing code violations, 9,442 of which were deemed "immediately hazardous" and include problems like mold, rodents, lead-based paint and a lack of heat, hot water or electricity.

Here are the 24 Harlem buildings that were added to the Alternate Enforcement Program:

• 504 West 142nd St.
• 521 West 150th St.
• 3341 Broadway
• 1516 Amsterdam Ave.
• 539 West 148th St.
• 602 West 141st St. (also on Worst Landlord Watchlist)
• 540 West 146th St.
• 557 West 149th St.
• 2035 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. (also on Worst Landlord Watchlist)
• 1845 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.
• 203 West 144th St. (also on Worst Landlord Watchlist)
• 2866 Frederick Douglass Blvd. (also on Worst Landlord Watchlist)
• 226 West 116th St.
• 60 St. Nicholas Ave. (also on Worst Landlord Watchlist)
• 2022 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.
• 2890 Frederick Douglass Blvd.
• 304 West 147th St. (also on Worst Landlord Watchlist)
• 220 West 149th St.
• 312 West 114th St.
• 228 East 116th St.
• 2093 Madison Ave.
• 51 East 126th St.
• 2411 Second Ave.
• 79 East 125th St.

Related coverage: Harlem Landlord Is Worst In City, New Watchlist Says

Have a Harlem news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.

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