Violation Issued After Collapse At Prospect Heights Brownstone

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — No residents or passersby were hurt on Tuesday when a collapsed part of a Prospect Heights brownstone sent its stoop crashing down, according to officials.

The collapse, which happened just after noon, unfolded when a decorative stone arch above the front door of the Carlton Avenue building collapsed onto its front stoop, according to the Department of Buildings.

The collapse appears to have sent all but the top three stairs and the railing of the stoop crashing down onto the sidewalk, according to photos.

"This brownstone in prospect heights just melted," wrote one passerby, Nevona Friedman, who posted a photo of the debris on Twitter.

Shortly after the collapse, inspectors issued a full vacate order for the building given that its damaged front entrance had "compromised the egress route for building occupants."

The tenants of the three-family home were set up for emergency relocation by the American Red Cross.

A neighboring yard was also vacated while the collapse was cleaned up, DOB officials said.

The owner of the three-story brownstone where the collapse happened was issued a violation for failing to maintain the building and was ordered to install a sidewalk shed to the front of the building for safety reasons.

The owner must also hire a professional engineer to complete a report about the structure, a DOB spokesperson said.

There were no injuries associated with the incident reported, according to DOB and FDNY.

The Brooklyn collapse, though relatively minor, comes just days after two more dramatic street collapses in Manhattan. In both, massive sinkholes opened on both the Upper East and and Upper West Side.

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