Park Slope Building That Collapsed in High Winds Had 'Stop Work Order'

Photo via Brad Lander/Twitter

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — The slow-going construction on a 12-story, mixed-use building rising at 535 4th Ave. near 14th Street in Park Slope was set back even further Sunday morning, when a huge chunk of the top story collapsed in the day's insane, 30 to 60 mph winds.

Streets surrounding the partial collapse were closed Sunday, according to local City Councilman Brad Lander, but no injuries were reported.

Records made public on the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) website show the city had issued a "partial stop work order" at the Slate Property Group development one month before, on Feb. 29, because the work did "not conform to approved construction documents."

City inspectors found the building did "not comply with code." Among its problems, they wrote, was a "first floor shear failure at column transfer."

In response to the alleged violations, the DOB ordered on March 1 that all no new construction work (aside from "safety work") be allowed at the property, and that the building's engineer submit "remedial calculations and drawings for review" by April 29.

Slate Property Group's new project at 4th and 14th has been under construction since Fall 2014. When the building is complete, it will be a 12-story, 130,000-square foot building with 148 high-end rental units, around 60 parking spaces and 12,500 square feet of retail on the ground floor.

“We see tremendous potential to add value to the avenue by developing unique, high-end residential properties that fill a void in the Park Slope marketplace," developer David Schwartz, of Slate Property Group, said back when construction began. Schwartz told The Real Deal that monthly rent for the building's studio apartments would likely start at $2,000.

New York City real-estate watchers, though, weren't too jazzed on the design.

"The design is depressingly similar to another project from Slate, Adam America, and Aufgang further down the street," Curbed New York wrote, adding: "Yeah, uh, 'unique.' Sure."

City records also show that Aufgang Architects, the firm designing the building, submitted revisions to their blueprint in early February. Under the new plans, square footage was increased on floors 2 through 12 — aka, the floors housing the building's high-end apartments.

We've reached out to the developer and the architect — as well as DOB officials — for explanation. We'll let you know when we hear back.