Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Art gallery building unstable

From NBC:

A landmark building on the Lower East Side was evacuated Monday evening after firefighters responding to a smoke alarm noticed floors were shaking and beams were cracked inside, setting off concerns over possible instability, officials say.

Crews were called to The Angel Orensanz Center at 172 Norfolk St. at about 7:30 p.m. for a smoke alarm going off, according to FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Hodgens on the scene. Firefighters determined the alarm was set off by smoke from cooking.

While they were investigating, firefighters were notified that the floors above were shaking, Hodgens said. Firefighters discovered several beams were cracked, signaling a possibly unstable structure, and immediately began evacuating the building.

About 500 people had to leave the building.

The building is a former synagogue that was restored as an art gallery and performance space in the 1980s, according to the venue's website.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tear it down and put up a starbucks.

Anonymous said...

Tear down the Steinway Mansion and put up a Pistilli Building.

Anonymous said...

I bartended a wedding there a couple years ago. Seemed fine at the time. Cool building.