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Wall Collapses Inside Building Under Construction in Harlem

By DNAinfo Staff on April 23, 2012 9:50am

Investigators work the scene at 51 East 125th Street, where a 10-foot-high wall collapsed.
Investigators work the scene at 51 East 125th Street, where a 10-foot-high wall collapsed.
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DNAinfo/Jeff Mays

By Jeff Mays and Wil Cruz

DNAinfo Staff

HARLEM — A small wall collapsed inside of a building under construction on East 125th Street, officials said.

The 10-foot-high brick wall inside of 51 E. 125th St. came down just before 8:30 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said.

No one was injured in the collapse, the spokesman added.

The building was empty because of the heavy rains over the weekend, said Martin Shkreli, the contractor for Alba Group.

Shkreli speculated that the wall came down because of the downpour.

"It's an open building and there was a driving rain," he said.

The building is being demolished by hand to save the facade, Shkreli said.

The structure expected to replace the demolished building is a 4,000 square foot concrete commercial building, he said.

A partial stop work order has been issued to that location, according to the DOB's web site.

"We are waiting for DOB to tell us how to proceed so no one gets hurt," Shkreli said, referring to the department.

The DOB did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

Garry Johnson, an architect who manages several buildings near the collapse, said he complained to the department about the work at the building.

"My concern [was] that the building was structurally unsound," Johnson said. "There's no roof, the bracing is missing and it's exposed to the elements."