By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
GREENWICH VILLAGE — The only iron the owners of one Manhattan gym could find themselves pumping could be the bars of a jail cell.
The Department of Buildings slapped Equinox gym owners Thursday with an order to take down their giant, sexed-up billboards immediately because they violate Historic District regulations.
The signs — part of an ad campaign called “My Body. My Biography." — were still up as of Thursday afternoon.
If they’re not removed soon, owners of Equinox could see themselves fined, in court or in jail.
“This is good news,” said Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. “We hope the order will have the intended result that the billboards will be removed. It’s an eyesore and it’s completely inappropriate and a flagrant violation of the law.”
The action follows an outcry from the community and local leaders, after the huge billboards were erected early this month.
Greenwich Village State Sen. Thomas Duane said the billboards “seriously compromised the character of our neighborhood," in a letter to Equinox CEO Harvey Spevak.
Bob Gormley, district manager for Community Board 2, said his office has been bombarded by complaints from the community.
“I am very pleased the city has acted this quickly,” Gormley said. “To put the billboards up without any permits is really a slap in the face to the community.”
Because the signs are located within Greenwich Village Historic District, they should have been cleared by the community board and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. However, no permits or approvals were given.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission chair Robert Tierney also issued an order late last week that says the gym has until Friday to remove the signs or face fines of upwards of $30,000 that accrue daily.
The DOB also plans to issue 15 violations, including failure to obtain a permit, posting advertising signs in areas where advertising is not permitted, and failure to comply with size and height requirements.
Equinox gym's representatives did not respond to calls or emails for comment.
Equinox boasts star clients like Kiefer Sutherland, Renée Zellweger and Bradley Cooper,
