Wall Collapse on Atlantic Avenue

By on January 29, 2024 8:22 pm in Atlantic Avenue, Commercial Real Estate, Development, News

Sitting in my classroom this morning waiting for students to arrive, I got an alert on my phone:

“Due to FDNY activity, expect traffic delays, road closures and a heavy presence of emergency personnel in the area of Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Street in Brooklyn. Consider alternate routes and allow for additional travel time.”

I checked Twitter. I checked local news sites. I listened to CBS 880.

Nothing.

But of course our own Brooklyn Eagle was on it, and the news wasn’t good, though it could have been far worse.

Many of us in the neighborhood mourned the loss of the green grocer near Sahadi’s when it closed just about a year ago in preparation for the construction of a four-story retail/residential building.

Today that loss became tangible, when one of the walls at 181 Atlantic Avenue, the home of that green grocer, collapsed, taking with it a wall at 179 Atlantic, home of Collyer’s Mansion. It’s now “just a pile of tumbled bricks.

While the building was slated for demolition, which had already begun, apparently without permits, a complete, unexpected collapse was surely not the plan of the owners of the building, which was more than a century old.

Support your local journalists and head to the Eagle for all the details…

Photo via Flickr and Matt Green; used with permission.

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  • Banet

    my spouse and I walked past that produce stand under construction just a few days ago. They had the gate up and you were able to see what was going on inside. There was absolutely nothing left of the old building. Just a bunch of random rubble on the ground. The rear wall was completely gone. The roof was completely gone. it looks like a disorganized mess with half a dozen unskilled workers bumbling around. I’m not at all surprised that the wall to the adjacent building collapsed. I suppose the seals the fate for that location of Collyer’s Mansion. They’ve been closed for mysterious reasons for the last several months.

  • Sweeties

    Nice work, finding that out. The complete absence of news of this on Twitter/X is a clear indication of its continuing failure as source of useful and relevant information.

  • Remsen Street Dweller

    Where was the DOB – this demolition was seen as a potential problem and raising hackles for a long time?

  • Albert Willingham

    Looks like there are complaints with the DOB dating back to March 23 about work without permits. A wall doesn’t just fall down…seems like greed and a total disregard may have brought that wall down. With a new vacate order on 179, it looks like that negligence and hubris may have put out residents and it seems like a small business as well. Just sad. I hope that the development at 181 is worth it!

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Some of the DOB reports, appear to be written by illiterate inspectors. The city hiring such incompetents is indicative of the damage, de Blasio and Adams have brought upon us with their double whammy of ineptitude.

  • Andrew Porter

    I’m concerned for the owners of next-door Collyer’s Mansion, which has been closed for months apparently due to construction problems. A charming store, at which I’ve bought several items.

    Any word on how they’re doing?

  • Nosey Neighbor

    AFAIK the greengrocer also owned the building and are planning to reopen when the new building is complete.

    There have been a number of wall collapses during demo and construction in the city recently. The DOB is not doing its job. Our DA Eric Gonzalez has had to do the job of going after these negligent contractors causing death and injury across our borough, which is very difficult because of shell companies and undocumented workers.

  • Banet

    Oh god. I was wondering why the store next door was closed. I wonder what “construction issues” could have closed them? It’s a 2 story building next door to a closed single story building that wasn’t undergoing active demolition (as far as I know).

  • Andrew Porter

    Walked by the site on Wednesday, and there was a Stop Work Order posted. But work was being done, and an engineer from the DOB said it was demolition of the remaining part of the building.