Smoke-Spewing UES Cancer Center Building Cited For Boiler Issues

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The city issued a citation to an Upper East Side cancer center building one day after Patch reported it was burping smoke in neighbors' backyards, according to local officials.

The Department of Environmental Protection issued the citation to a Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center building at 310 East 66 St. Friday after Patch reported locals' concerns over second-hand smoke, a spokesperson confirmed.

Inspectors found the building's boiler registration had expired and several smoke alarm maintenance violations, the department rep said.

A Memorial Sloan Kettering representative told Patch that the center was aware of the inspection, but had yet to receive notice of a violation, which the city said will be sent via mail.

Neighbors who share a courtyard with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center properties told Patch last week they'd long been concerned about smoke pouring from one of the building chimneys.

On Wednesday, a large cloud and the stench of sulfur spurred some locals to call the fire department.

One East 66th Street neighbor said the smoke has been a problem since 2021, with northern winds blowing the fifth floor chimney against a larger, 13-story East 65th street building to trap the fumes in a courtyard cloud, bringing soot into his apartment.

The neighbor said he's reported the issued multiple times to 311, the Department of Environmental Protection and Council Member Julie Menin's office, but to no resolution.

Department of Building records show that MSK was granted a permit to replace the chimney liner last summer in the building.

A recent Building department safety filing shows that a master plumber found some degree of defects with the building's boiler in an inspection last December.