The city's Department of Buildings issued a batch of Class 1 violations this week for conditions inspectors flagged as immediate hazards — the top severity tier the agency uses when it believes a condition could hurt someone right now.
At 1856 Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan (BIN 1056619, Block 1877, Lot 36), DOB records show a violation served September 20 against Amsterdam 934 LLC, registered to an address in Lakewood, New Jersey. Per DOB's ECB violation dataset, an inspector observed a section of concrete cornice detached and missing over the public sidewalk at the Amsterdam Avenue exposure. The violation cites Section 28-302.1, failure to maintain building walls or appurtenances, with a $12,500 penalty. A hearing is scheduled for December 3.
At 1440 Madison Avenue (BIN 1083920, Block 1604, Lot 6), DOB records show a separate Class 1 violation served the same day against Mount Sinai Hospital. Inspectors found a metal sidewalk grate with roughly a 6-by-6-inch opening, cited as an immediate hazard under Section 28-301.1. Penalty imposed: $2,500. Hearing set for December 3.
Two elevator-related Class 1 violations also appear in the batch. At 2854 Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Manhattan (BIN 1060625), DOB records list a violation against Macombs Manor Housing Development Fund Corp for a service elevator found out of service, cited under BC 3001.2 and Section 27-987, with a $1,250 penalty. At 641 Lexington Avenue (BIN 1060854), a similar out-of-service elevator violation was issued against Northern Manhattan Equities, carrying a $3,125 penalty. Both hearings are scheduled for December 3.
Separately, DOB records show a cluster of Class 2 violations this week for missing or absent watchpersons at active new-building sites, including a proposed 16-story building at BIN 2130373 in Queens (respondent DASR Corp) and a 14-story-plus-roof site at BIN 2002072 (respondent Penta Restoration Corp), each cited for lacking a certified watchperson when inspectors knocked and announced themselves at the site fence. Site-security violations — fencing, debris netting, watchperson coverage — accounted for the largest share of the roughly 30 new ECB violations logged in DOB's dataset over the past three days.
None of these violations carry a finding of fault; all are listed as active and pending a hearing, and respondents may contest them. DOB's ECB violation and complaint datasets show ordinary volume for the period — roughly 100 new complaints citywide in the last two days — and are not, by themselves, evidence of a broader safety trend.