Architect Dies After Being Struck By Falling Facade At Midtown Building
A 60-year-old woman was killed Tuesday after being hit by a piece of building facade while she was walking on the sidewalk near Times Square.
The woman, identified by The New York Post as architect Erica Tishman of Zubatkin Owner Representation, was struck by debris at Seventh Avenue and 49th Street. The material fell from 729 Seventh Ave., a 17-story retail and office building owned by Himmel + Meringoff Properties.
“We are saddened by this tragedy and our hearts go out to the family. The company will fully cooperate with the city in the ongoing matter,” a spokesperson for Himmel + Meringoff told Bisnow in a statement.
The building owner had reportedly been issued a violation by the city’s Department of Buildings eight months ago for “failure to maintain exterior building facade," The New York Times reports. Specifically, the terra cotta on the upper levels of the building was said to be at risk of falling, per the Times, and the owners paid a $1,500 fine as a result.
As part of plans to do work on the building exterior, the manager of the building said it would put up scaffolding as a safety measure, but had not done so as of Tuesday morning, according to the Times.
The New York Police Department and the Department of Buildings are conducting an investigation, The Real Deal reports.
