UES Art Farm Finds Temporary Location After Building Vacated

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An Upper East Side business that offers art and nature education programs for children and runs an indoor petting zoo has found a temporary location following a city order to vacate its East 91st Street building.

The Art Farm NYC will run its programs from a second-floor space at 431 E. 91st St., which is just a few buildings down from its usual location between First and York avenues, business owners told customers in an email obtained by Patch.

City buildings inspectors placed a full vacate order on the Art Farm's building due to "excessive storage of combustible materials and personal effects," on the building's third, second and cellar floors. The excessive weight being put on the building is located on the rear first floor setback roof, which is "100 percent covered in debris, potted plants and vegetation," according to the city record.

Business owners sent its customers a message at the beginning of May saying that the city Department of Buildings deemed its East 91st Street building unsafe because "there is too much weight being put on the levels above The Art Farm location and they are concerned for structural damage." The email blamed a tenant located above the business as the culprit for the vacate order.

In announcing the Art Farm's new location, business owners said its normal building is currently being renovated.

"Thank you again for all of your patience in this unexpected period of transition for us," business owners told customers in an email.

The Art Farm is run out of the building's cellar. The Department of Buildings vacate order noted that the business has no secondary means of egress in case of an emergency.