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Brick Storm: Several rows of bricks attached to metal sheeting being removed by Macy's demolition workers, were torn loose and cascaded to the roof of 205 Martine Avenue Thursday. The approximately 20-25 foot long cave-in is seen from the 5th story of the Arts Council building. Photo by WPCNR.

"Macy's Mashers" lose load of bricks onto rooftop of beauty parlors on Martine Avenue ripping 25 foot hole in roof.

By John F. Bailey

CityLine: August 16, 2001 -- Martine Avenue

Leslie Edell was getting her nails done in Ester Nails at 205 Martine Avenue at 2:30 PM, on a quiet Thursday afternoon. It was a manicure she will never forget.

She heard a roar -- saw dust puffing out the ceiling in the rear of the salon, by the massage area and she immediately fled to the street. She reports seeing bricks and debris cascading on the bed where body waxing takes place as she and other patrons fled to the street.

"I thought it was an earthquake, " Ms. Edell told WPCNR.

It was "An Act of God" according to Oscar Nordstrom, speaking for Cappelli Enterprises, who was on the scene with police, fire and Building Department inspectors.

Nordstrom told WPCNR that the falling bricks had been attached to a strip of metal panel at the top of the old Macy's Southernmost brick wall behind the Gloria Lin--owned building on Martine.

Nordstrom said the bricks had been ripped from the wall when the metal panel they were attached to was being removed by workers, and the metal sheeting was "caught by a strong gust of wind" causing them to lose control of it.

Nordstrom reports several rows of bricks attached to the metal sheeting were torn loose, plunging to the roof below, partially caving in the Ester Nails and Expressions Hair Design store rooftop, and a portion of Ester Nails subceiling.

(Westchester County Airport Operations reported to WPCNR Tuesday evening that winds between the hour of 2 PM and 3 PM -- the time of the brick incident -- were from the Southeast the first half hour, and shifting to the South south west at 11 knots with gusts to 14 knots by 3 PM.)

John Savage, an attorney from Mount Vernon, representing Ilene Brown, owner of Expressions Hair Design, the neighbor store to Ester Nails, said a smaller incident had occurred about two weeks previously. He said he had called the White Plains Building Department and complained about it on behalf of his client.

Ms. Brown took up the story. She said that nothing had been done to protect the building to her knowledge by the Cappelli organization after her attorney's complaint. At the first incident, Ms. Brown said two windows were broken and some dust and light debris fell into the back of her establishment and the barbershop next door.

Thursday, Brown said the bathroom and the massage room in the Ester Nails store next door to her had experienced a cave-in of the bathroom ceiling and that the bed where bodywaxing was administered was littered with bricks and debris. Ms. Brown said she was authorized by the owner of Ester Nails to describe the damage to her friend's store.

Ileen Brown, owner of Expressions Hair Design, standing in front of her store and Ester Nails on Martine which were damaged by a rooftop cave-in Thursday. White Plains Police, firemen and building inspectors can be seen going about inspecting the damage on the roof. Photo by WPCNR.

Nordstrom, speaking for Cappelli Enterprises confirmed that the first window breakage and minimal debris seepage, had occurred within the last two weeks. In response to a Building Department inquiry, the Cappelli organization had sought permission from Gloria Lin the owner of the Martine Avenue series of buildings to gain access to the properties on Martine "to shore up the roof."

Nordstrom told WPCNR:

"We were refused permission to come in and protect the building when it was requested in a letter to Ms. Lin and her attorney," Nordstrom said.

Ms. Lin, who had arrived on the scene, told WPCNR in Mr. Nordstrom's presence, that she had not understood that the Cappelli organization wanted interior access to buttress the roof. She said her attorney had told her he had not seen the need for interior access by the Cappelli organization. (WPCNR advises, it should be noted that the Cappelli organization is in negotiations with Ms. Lin to purchase her property.)

Ms. Lin told WPCNR her attorney advised her against granting the Cappelli team interior access, which Nordstrom said was needed to shore up the roof to protect in case of a rooftop accident. Nordstrom said the organization had placed plywood with rubber tires on the roof top with Ms. Lin's permission to protect the roof in case of a mishap.

Mr. Nordstrom, reacting to Ms. Lin's explanation, said pleasantly that Ms. Lin was simply "seeing things differently."

WPCNR asked to see the interior damage but the premises was secured and the owner did not seem to respond to our request. Ms. Lin appeared to this reporter very distraught over the event.

Three feet of space separate the doomed Macy's wall from the rear of the Lin building (on right). Seen dangling from the top of the wall is the metal sheeting that the falling bricks were attached to when "the gust of wind" caused workmen to lose control of the metal sheet, ripping out the bricks which penetrated the rooftops of two tenants of the Lin Building. Plywood sheets that had been on the roof for protection are seen in the foreground. Photo by WPCNR.

At a news conference in City Hall at 5 PM, Building Commissioner Michael Gismondi answered media questions via speakerphone with George Gretsas and Paul Wood, presiding over the briefing.

Gismondi confirmed that "There was a sheer brick wall being taken down by hand (by the Cappelli demolition contractor, Irondequoit Corporation of 115 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.) There was a metal screen across the top. Apparently they were trying to remove the metal screen on the top of the wall by hand when a gust of wind caught the metal screen and a certain amount of masonry went with it. Mrs. Lin's roof has a roof with a short space between the roof and the false frame ceiling of the interior. Plywood and used auto tires protected the roof. Debris penetrated the roof and the 18 to 24 inch space under the top of the roof. A substantial amount of masonry went through the second roof and dropped straight through (into Ester Nails)."

Gismondi said "The demolition firm is a licensed demolition contractor, and they have a demolition permit. Once the demolition permit is issued, the Building Department has not authority to tell them how to conduct safety procedures. But they need to follow OSHA rules and standards set by their insurance companies. The city required the sidewalk bridges to be erected to protect passersby. The developer is not required to do that."

Gismondi said his Building Department engineers are accessing the damage to determine the structural integrity of the Lin premises, and until the building is deemed safe, tenants will not be allowed back in their businesses. He expected this process would take one or two days.

He also said the Cappelli organization is conducting a similar engineering analysis of the remaining Macy's wall, and until their report is in demolition will not continue in that area. WPCNR did not determine if the Cappelli demolition contractor would work on other areas of the site.

Gismondi said the Cappelli organization would have to come up with "some sort of specialized system for the demolition of that (Macy's) wall."

George Gretsas, asked if the city would undertake eminent domain proceedings of the Lin premises if the Lin building was deemed to be structurally not safe, said it was "too premature to speculate" on that course of action.

Gretsas, the Mayor's executive officer released this statement: "This was an unfortunate accident. Thank God no one was hurt. It would have been better had the property owner had seen fit to let the Cappelli firm gain access to the premises to protect the tenants."

Mr. Gismondi said that Mr. Savage, Ms. Brown's attorney, had not spoken to him directly about the first incident, and did not know whom Mr. Savage had spoken to in the department.


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