Harlem's Devastating Lenox Terrace Fire Was Set Deliberately: Police

HARLEM, NY — The fire that destroyed a row of businesses last month at Harlem's Lenox Terrace apartment complex was set deliberately, according to authorities — a revelation that promises to further inflame the speculation that has surrounded the incident for weeks.

The March 20 blaze broke out around 5 a.m. in the vacant one-story commercial building at 480-490 Malcolm X Blvd., at the foot of the complex's high-rise towers. It was the third fire to damage the building in recent years, following one in October 2019 and another early-morning fire last November that gutted several of the businesses, including the beloved soul food restaurant Manna's.

Days after the latest fire, the city ordered the building to be torn down after it was deemed structurally unstable, and the site now sits empty — strewn with rubble and surrounded by plywood.

On Friday, responding to questions from Patch, NYPD and FDNY representatives said that the March fire is believed to have been intentionally set, with a police report stating that "unidentified individual(s) started a fire" inside the building. (The previous two fires have been deemed electrical accidents, according to the fire department.)

No arrests have been made, but an investigation is ongoing, an NYPD spokesperson said.

The disclosure comes amid rampant speculation in the neighborhood about the frequency of fires on the block. City Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan, who represents the area, tweeted last week that "The repeated fires at Lenox Terrace do strike me as extremely suspicious."

The 1,700-unit complex is owned by the Olinick Organization. Since 2003, Olinick has tried to push through a series of rezoning plans that would allow further development on the site — the latest of which failed in 2020 amid furious opposition from residents and elected officials.

"Residents have asked if Hampton Management has leeway to build the high rises they have been planning, with the current damage that has been done," Richardson Jordan tweeted last week, referencing Olinick's property management arm.

Reached for comment on Friday, an Olinick spokesperson called the fire "a terrible incident that could have been much worse, and we are grateful for the swift and courageous action of the first responders who brought this fire under control with no serious injuries."

"We continue to work with the FDNY fire marshals to determine the cause of the fire and with our long-time commercial tenants to provide assistance and support," the spokesperson said.

Authorities have not released any information about potential suspects.

The now-demolished commercial building is among the sites that were slated to be redeveloped in the 2020 rezoning plan, with Olinick plotting a high-rise tower for the location.

That failed rezoning stoked fears about gentrification and the possible transformation of what had been an oasis for middle-class Black families, with residents including political leaders Percy Sutton, Charles Rangel and Basil Paterson. Paterson's son, ex-New York Gov. David Paterson, was even swept up in the recent rezoning battle amid reports that he had ties to lobbyists supporting the development.

Olinick did not respond to questions on Friday about its long-term plan for Lenox Terrace, though the company previously said it would pursue a more modest redevelopment if its rezoning failed.

Ian Park, a co-owner of Manna's restaurant, told Patch on Monday that he had decided against moving back to the Lenox Avenue space after the second fire last year. Though Olinick said it would assist its commercial tenants, Park said he had heard nothing from the company since the fire.

"There was no communication after that," he said. "Nothing."

Meanwhile, Olinick has faced scrutiny over allegations of tenant mistreatment at Lenox Terrace — the company paid tenants $1.2 million in 2020 to settle a lawsuit claiming that it had wrongfully deregulated rent-stabilized apartments, and residents have continued to complain of utility outages as recently as last month.

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

Related coverage:

• Huge Harlem Fire Devastates Row Of Businesses
• Harlem Building To Be Torn Down After Recent Fires, City Says
• Plan To Expand Harlem's Lenox Terrace Denied Again By Council