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Building Owned by George Soros' Daughter Collapses on West Fourth Street

By DNAinfo Staff on January 27, 2012 2:15pm  | Updated on January 27, 2012 2:31pm

By Andrea Swalec and Patrick Hedlund

DNAinfo Staff

WEST VILLAGE — A West Fourth Street building owned by billionaire investor George Soros' daughter partially collapsed Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Andrea Soros Colombel — daughter of hedge fund mogul and philanthropist George Soros — is listed as the owner of the three-story residential building at 243 W. Fourth St., between Charles and West 10th streets, according to city records.

The building partially collapsed about 1:22 p.m., the FDNY said. There were no reports of injuries.

Soros Colombel is listed as the building's owner on the property deed, according to public records. Her father was ranked by Forbes as the seventh-richest man in the world last year with a net worth of $22 billion.

Andrea Soros Colombel.
Andrea Soros Colombel.
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Flickr/Acumen Fund

Building permits posted at the property, listed at 245-243 West Fourth Street, said that work was being done to combine a two-family home into a one-family home.

Emergency responders at the scene said contractors weakened a wall while removing a portion of the 245 West Fourth St. building's roof, leading to the collapse.

“It poses no risk to adjacent buildings," said EMS supervisor Ed Baez.

“It was a funny sound," added Juan Garcia, 64, a contractor who was working on a building a few doors down at the time. "We said, 'Wow, the world just collapsed.'"

West Fourth Street between Charles and West 10th streets was closed to traffic after the collapse, as was Charles Street between West Fourth Street and Seventh Avenue.