This year saw the results of the investigation into the partial building collapse at 1959 Billingsley Terrace in the Morris Heights neighborhood, which occurred Dec. 11, 2023. Though, miraculously, no one was seriously injured or killed, the incident shook the community, displaced hundreds of residents and led to more proactive inspection measures for the city’s aging buildings.
As construction was in progress on the six-story apartment building, the entire northeast corner collapsed — and the multi-agency investigation concluded that faulty engineering plans were to blame. A column in the building had been incorrectly identified as decorative when it was in fact load bearing, and when workers used a chipping gun on the structure, it gave way within minutes.
The engineer who misidentified the column, Richard Koenigsberg, was suspended and fined, and the construction company that performed the work was also penalized with violations from the city.
The frightening incident prompted the city to more proactively and rigorously inspect old buildings. The Billingsley Terrace Structural Integrity Bill, passed by City Council in June, requires the Department of Buildings to create a “proactive inspection program,” which the mayor has committed $4.7 million to start.
In other examples of the Bronx’s crumbling infrastructure, a retaining wall in the Tremont neighborhood collapsed on Jan. 11, just weeks after the Billingsley Terrance incident. While on a smaller scale than the apartment building, the wall collapse caused significant damage to nearby commercial and residential properties and displaced residents of three different buildings. A parapet wall in Van Cortlandt Village also gave way on June 21. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from either incident.
