Garage Considered “Imminently Perilous to Life” on UWS is Vacated, Stranding Cars
After an UWS parking garage at 214-216 W. 80th St. was discovered with “seriously deteriorated concrete slabs,” the Department of Buildings ordered a complete vacate order for the entire building–which houses Freidland Garage.
| 08 Nov 2023 | 11:31
214-216 W. 80th St, also known as Freidland Garage, has been ordered vacated by the DOB for being “imminently perilous to life.” Some cars left there reportedly remain stranded. (
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A vacate order for 214-216 W. 80th St., also known as Freidland Garage. (
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165 W. 65th St., which is a suggested replacement for car owners that previously relied on Freidland Garage at 214-216 W. 80th St. (
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A parking garage in use at 214-216 W. 80th St. was ordered entirely vacated by the Department of Buildings (DOB), a command that came affixed with an ominous warning that the structure was deemed “imminently perilous to life.”
Specifically, a DOB inspection found conditions at Freidland Garage such as “cracked/spalling concrete at steel beam encasements and substantially deteriorated concrete slabs with exposed rebar.” Most disturbingly, they also discovered that “there is no shoring installed with cars still parked underneath the area of concern.” The full vacate order was issued on Thursday, November 2, the day of the examination.
This means that the personal vehicles of some NYC residents had reportedly been left stranded as recently as Saturday, November 4. The vacate order further noted that anybody trying to enter the dangerous and shut-down premises might face arrest. However, a spokesman for the DOB told Straus News that vehicles had begun to be removed on November 6.
Users of the parking space were contacted by garage management, who told them that they would be notified as soon as their cars were retrieved. In the meantime, another garage at 165 W. 65th St. (more than 15 blocks away, near Lincoln Center) was suggested as a replacement.
The safety of Manhattan’s garages has remained a hot-button issue in 2023 after one collapsed in May on Ann St., killing its general manager. The garage was demolished shortly thereafter, and car owners that didn’t have irreparably damaged vehicles were able to retrieve them a few days after the initial collapse. After a whirlwind of spot checks conducted after that catastrophe, the DOB issued a spate of vacate orders across the borough, indicating that the stability of many parking structures had been seriously compromised and were deemed unsafe.
It is not immediately clear how long repairs on 214-216 W. 80th St. will take. Neither the DOB nor Freidland Garage returned calls as of press time.