A partial exterior wall collapse that occurred in early March at Tracey Towers has prompted management to erect a sidewalk shed to protect residents and pedestrians, and New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has issued a partial stop work order, shutting the adjacent Tracey Towers playground that had re-opened in 2015 after an infusion of $200,000 in City Council funds.

 

On March 10, a resident contacted Norwood News saying the building’s management, RY Management Co. Inc, had told residents strong winds had brought down the wall. A visit the following day to the massive dual-tower complex, located opposite Mosholu Parkway subway station at 40 West Mosholu Parkway South in the Jerome Park section of The Bronx, found construction workers still clearing the fallen bricks and securing the wall with a giant tarp.

 

A follow-up visit on April 19 found metal barricades blocking off the damaged wall to exiting vehicles from the Tracey Towers parking area, and sandbags holding down a pair of giant tarps.

Back on April 1, Andrew Rudansky, press secretary at DOB, said his office had no record of a wall collapse and that the owners of the building had obtained a permit to install a sidewalk shed in front of the building. Rudansky added, “The sidewalk shed may be related to facade maintenance, but we have not received any filings for the work as of today. The most recent Facade Inspection and Safety Report (FISP) the owners filed with DOB was back in 2019, and it indicated the facade was in safe condition.”

 

On April 4, Don Miller, president of the public relations firm, West End Strategies, Ltd., issued a statement on the situation on behalf of the building manager that read, “A small section of a freestanding wall near the parking ramp at Tracey Towers experienced a partial failure. The wall separates the vehicular exit ramp from the residential parking deck. It is not known if the wall was possibly struck by a vehicle which may have contributed to its failure.”

 

Miller continued, “The structural engineer recommended removing an additional section of the freestanding wall and replacing it with fencing that conforms to the design of the complex. The safety of residents and the public remains the number one priority of Tracey Towers Associates. As a precautionary measure, a sidewalk shed has been installed during the construction of the wall and fencing.”

 

On April 5, Jean Hill, president of the Tracey Towers Tenants’ Organization, discounted Miller’s contention that a vehicle had possibly struck the wall, telling Norwood News, “We had a bad rainstorm that night and the wind was really, really hard and it just knocked it over.” She added, “No, no, no, nothing hit it. That wall is raised up where you come down the [elevated] driveway; a car could not have hit that.”

 

Hill then recalled the last time Tracey Towers had to erect a temporary sidewalk shed, noting that it had stayed in place for 15 years. “They were supposed to do painting and do other work on the building, and they were slow-dragging their feet,” she said.

Norwood News asked Hill about the small holes that occasionally opened on the driveway exit ramp, through which residents could often see the MTA’s Jerome Avenue maintenance shop below. Hill shot back, “You sure can! What happens is….I don’t know if it’s wear and tear… it could probably be because of the cars going back and forth and it could be vibrations under there from the trains, I have no clue.” She added that workers simply patch the holes.

 

Asked if there was a drop-ceiling below the ramp or any protection barrier below the asphalt, Hill replied, “Nope, that’s what it is. Well, nobody has fallen through or anything like that and then, when we b*tch and complain about it, then they’ll come in and they fill the holes.”

 

Tracey Towers was created through the Mitchell-Lama, middle-income housing program, and opened in 1974. It is overseen by NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD), and comprises 871 one, two, and three-bedroom affordable apartments.

 

After dispatching inspectors to the site on April 4, DOB deputy press secretary, Ana Alcantara, later told Norwood News on April 15, “During the inspection, they observed evidence that an approximately 300-square-foot section of masonry veneer had collapsed from a parapet wall adjacent to the parking access ramp at the property.” Alcantara added, “DOB issued a violation to the owners for failure to maintain the property and ordered them to obtain the appropriate permits for the work.”

 

Regarding the claims of holes in the asphalt along the driveway exit ramp near the children’s playground, Alcantara said, “There is a Partial Vacate Order in effect for the entire playground located at 40 West Mosholu Parkway South, due to the condition of a nearby retaining wall that is in a state of disrepair. This Partial Vacate Order remains in effect today.”

 

An April 16 visit to the housing complex found no children playing on the basketball courts nor in the playground that had opened on August 27, 2017, following a $200,000 renovation financed by discretionary funding obtained by then-District 11 city councilman, Andrew Cohen. However, the playground area was not roped off nor was there any visible signage indicating that the playground was closed. When Norwood News informed a security guard of the situation, she said she would inform management.

 

According to DOB records, 20 West Mosholu Parkway, the location of one of the towers, currently has a reported 108 complaints and 16 outstanding violations, including nine for problems with the building’s elevators. Some open violations date back to 2017. One elevator violation stemmed from a fire on October 18, 2021, as reported by Norwood News, which left the 40-story building with just one working elevator.

 

Meanwhile, DOB records reveal 192 complaints and 20 open violations for 40 West Mosholu Parkway, the address for the other tower, with one violation alleging that an elevator at that building had been out for six straight months.

Tracey Towers residents told Norwood News in 2021 that a food service delivery worker had once gotten stuck in one of the broken elevators for an extended period of time until he was finally discovered. Norwood News contacted the management company for an update on the elevator and other complaints raised by residents at the time. We did not receive a response.

 

Meanwhile, follow-up questions were sent by Norwood News to Miller via email on Tuesday, April 19, regarding the Partial Vacate Order for the playground, the playground not being closed off to the public, and the holes where tenants can see into the MTA’s maintenance yard. We did receive a response as of press date.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.