Chinatown Building Deemed Unsafe, Residents Evacuated
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Residents of a six-story apartment building in Chinatown have received some bad news.
Al Jones reports
New York City's buildings department and OEM examined the structure Wednesday afternoon and declared it unsafe, issuing a full vacate order and intent to demolish.
Hotel construction on one side of the building and the demolition of a building on the other side have apparently weakened the 99-year-old structure.
About 35 people living in the building at 128 Hester Street have been evacuated and placed in hotels by the Red Cross and will now have to look for a new place to live.
"Yes, I have to get out. It's so unfair," said Wallace Lie, the owner of the Hong Kong Station restaurant located on the ground floor of the building.
City Councilman Alan Gerson said dozens of complaints regarding the tenement were ignored by the buildings department.
The residents will be allowed to retrieve their belongings before the building is demolished.
Inset photo of 128 Hester Street by Al Jones
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NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Residents of a six-story apartment building in Chinatown have received some bad news.
