CBS New York has been digging into the history of the Bronx building that partially collapsed on Monday afternoon, and the past violations at the property.
The property has seven open violations, according to the Department of Buildings. One of those is from March of 2021, related to a hazardous conditions on the facade.
The building is 96 years old and from a black-and-white picture obtained by CBS New York, which was taken between 1939 and 1941, not much has been updated on the exterior.
Investigative reporter Tim McNicholas found Google Street View images from November of last year that clearly show cracks in the corner of the building where the collapse happened.
“Prewar” actually refers to the last war with a battle in the location you’re referring to. So prewar in much of Europe is WWII and in much of New York City it’s a reference to the Revolutionary War which had the Battle of Brooklyn. This collapse happened in the Bronx however. The Bronx has the infamous Battle of the Bronx, which means the war in question is infact the ongoing Basketball Wars.