Hell's Kitchen Buildings Demolished Illegally, Community Board Claims

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — Members of Community Board 4 — which represents Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen — are accusing a developer of demolishing two buildings on West 55th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenue without the proper permission.

Community board member Joe Restuccia said during a land use committee meeting that an entirely new structure was built on the site of two four-story brownstone single room occupancy buildings at 335 and 337 W. 55th St.

"One day about two weeks ago the netting came down and the facade had been removed," Restuccia said. "And what you saw behind the facade was an entirely new structure. A steel structure."

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Developers never filed demolition permits for the buildings but instead filed renovation permits to combine the buildings, add two additional floors and convert the buildings from single room occupancy units to residential apartments, a DOB spokesman told Patch.

On Sept. 7 the DOB received a complaint about work being done on the West 55th Street buildings, a spokesman told Patch. DOB inspectors went to the construction site on Sept. 8 but found the site to be locked. Inspectors once again tried to access the site on Sept. 9, but it was locked again, a DOB spokesman told Patch.

Despite not gaining access to the construction site inspectors ruled that there were no external signs of demolition, a DOB spokesman told Patch. Because the developers had active permits to combine the two buildings, a certain level of internal demolition is allowed, but a full removal of the existing building would violate the permits, the DOB spokesman told said.

The Community Board 4 land use committee determined it would send a letter requesting a stop work order and full revocation of active construction permits for 335 and 337 W. 55th Street. A DOB spokesman told Patch that it would respond to the board's request and if signs of full demolition are found at the site a stop work order would be issued.

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