Multiple outlets have reported that a building on Williamsburg’s Roebling Street suffered a partial roof collapse this Sunday.
143 Roebling Street, which for years served as Roebling Tea Room, partially collapsed around 4:30 p.m. yesterday. The building has long been vacant, so thankfully, no one was hurt or trapped inside (though some vehicles apparently sustained damage).
This is not the first partial collapse for 143 Roebling Street, which saw another partial collapse in July 2022.
“In the previous collapse, a different portion of the parapet fell, but since then, no work has been done to fix the aging building, officials said,” ABC 7 reports.
Building records indicate that 143 Roebling Street was recently owned by RedSky Capital, a Williamsburg-based developer that has found itself in turbulent financial waters over the past few years. Calmwater Capital, a Los Angeles-based commercial real estate lender, took over ownership, having previously lent RedSky $60 million to redevelop the building and surrounding lots.
Locals may remember RedSky as the developer who previously owned the India Street ferry pier and dragged their feet on completing repairs back in 2014. In fact, a separate RedSky-owned building partially collapsed during Tropical Storm Isaias in 2020.
The city has to crack down on these developers who cut corners and affect damage to historical as well as other neighboring buildings. I have been fighting one since major damage was done to my home in 2018.