Video shows hotel awning collapse over Brooklyn Heights subway station entrance

CBS News

2 days ago

Editor's note 5:22 p.m. 8/4/25: This story has been updated to reflect a response to Councilman Restler's remarks by Educational Housing Services.
An awning that was attached to a Brooklyn Heights hotel and sat above a subway station entrance collapsed on Sunday morning.
The incident, which was captured on surveillance video, happened two days after a local New York City Council member convened a meeting to address conditions there.
Hotel St. George awning comes crashing down
The footage shows the overhang for the Hotel St. George, which opened more than 100 years ago, crashing down just after 7 a.m. It used to sit right above the entrance to the Clark Street subway station. Luckily, no one was walking underneath at the time.
Councilman Lincoln Restler claimed the building is the responsibility of Educational Housing Services, or EHS, which provides dormitory housing. Just this past Friday, Restler says he met with the NYC Transit president about a game plan to address the issues.
"We get complaints from our constituents, our neighbors, every week about the stench of sewage, about the grime and the filth," Restler said. "They've been non-responsive to my office, and to the MTA about improving conditions in the station."
EHS responded to the councilman's allegations Monday, disputing his assertion and saying they do not own the building.
"We are aware of the collapse of the marquee at the St. George residence. We are relieved to report that no injuries were sustained, and we are thankful for the swift response of emergency personnel who secured the area quickly. While EHS provides student housing services within the St. George property, we are not the owners of the building. This has been reported to the public incorrectly by the MTA and several elected officials. We are in active communication with the building's ownership and management to ensure any necessary repairs are addressed promptly. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely," EHS said in a statement.
DOB says structure showed poor maintenance
Later Sunday, workers boarded up the subway station entrance. The MTA says trains are skipping stops for the 2 and 3 lines at Clark Street, as the Department of Buildings investigates.
A DOB representative said the 15-foot by 20-foot concrete and steel beam that collapsed showed signs of poor maintenance. Inspectors noted that the steel beam is completely corroded through at several locations. They are also inspecting a second similar awning on the other side of the building, which, they say, shows similar signs of poor maintenance.
The DOB website shows two open violations from 2021 related to the building's façade, and a third from 2022 in violation of a local law related to façade safety.
"We have a service that we are willing and ready to provide, and so not having the ability to provide customers the transportation that they need and deserve is just unacceptable," the MTA President of NYC Transit Demetrius Crichlow added Monday after checking out the damage. "So the first thing is how do we get service back to this station, and there are two entrances that need to be addressed."
For now, the DOB has issued a partial vacate order, which means small businesses there, like a shoe repair shop, bodega and florist, cannot operate for the time being.
The DOB said there could be enforcement actions as it investigates.
Local residents say it's a miracle no one was hurt
People who live in the area were stunned by the collapse, and thankful nobody happened to be walking underneath it at the time.
"It was kind of wild to see. It made me think a bit more about my surroundings," a local resident named Leon said.
"It's a historic landmark. I walk by it with pride every day. No one expects it to fall on your head," Brooklyn Heights resident Adam Green added.
"God forbid it happened at 12 o-clock on a Monday, 12 o'clock noon on Monday. It would have been catastrophic," a Brooklyn Heights resident named Freddie said.
"I'm just upset. What if I was walking under there?" resident Shakira Chamrai said.