Let's hear it for the DOB again

A temporary retaining wall at a building site on the Upper West Side collapsed last summer because it was erected on rock that was too weak to hold it, according to a report from the city’s Department of Buildings.

City Blames Weak Rock for Fallen Wall

The collapse on July 25, which temporarily displaced hundreds of residents of an apartment building at 784 Columbus Avenue, could have been prevented if engineers on the site had noticed that the rock was weathered, according to the report. It also found that construction crews were blasting away rock at the site without the seismic monitoring devices that are required by the Fire Department.

The report did not recommend punishment for any of the violations. Instead, it concluded, “The failure to identify the weakened condition of the rock and the noncompliance with F.D.N.Y. monitoring requirements should be referred to the appropriate units for issuance of violations.”