By Carol Tannenhauser
Twenty-one of the 36 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) brownstones, located between W. 89th and W. 93rd streets, from Central Park West to Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, are currently without heat and hot water — and have been throughout the deep freeze that gripped the city over the past weekend, according to Cynthia Tibbs, president of the WSUR Brownstones Tenant Association.
Oddly, the outages are not reported on NYCHA’s December 27th “Service Interruptions Overview,” a daily report of heat, hot water, elevator, electric, and gas interruptions in all NYCHA buildings.
Tibbs said two different incidents caused the brownstone outages, both involving pipes. City Council Member Gale Brewer, who has been monitoring the situation all weekend, confirmed that the boilers weren’t involved.
Tibbs emailed, “On 12/25, a steam pipe burst in building 137 W. 93rd, flooding Apts BA and BB on the ground level, including the lobby and the front of the building, It also knocked out heat and hot water to buildings 125, 127, 129, 131, 133, 135, 137, 139, 141, and 143 W. 93rd Street.”
Tibbs said the steam pipe had been newly installed on Christmas morning, “but immediately burst when the heating team tried to restore heat.” The other problem was a a leaking steam pipe in the building at 36 W. 91st Street, she said, affecting heat at 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 West 91st Street since Friday, 12/23.
Four more buildings are in “imminent danger of losing heat,” according to Tibbs. Building 23 West 90th Street is now without heat and, as it shares the same heating line as W. 91st Street, buildings 15, 17 ,19 and 21 are “facing the threat of a serious trickle-down effect.”
Brewer’s office reported and Tibbs confirmed that private plumbers have been brought in to address the leaks, but Tibbs isn’t confident. “I suggested that residents who could stay with friends or relatives should consider doing so, and many have left.”
WSR has reached out to NYCHA, and will update when we get a response.
Update: 12/28, 10:20 p.m.: “Heat and hot water were restored Tuesday night [12/27] by 10 p.m. to 93rd Street, and restored to 91st Street by 11 p.m.,” Cynthia Tibbs informed us. “NYCHA always fixes things once the media gets involved,” she said.
Par for the course right? Winter in full effect and no heat pipes bursting you would think this would be prioritized immediately but the fact is no one cares and the folks at the top do nothing but say they’ve working on it so hey MERRY CHRISTMAS right? Here’s to all the well heated and comfortable people at NYCHA
You think lack of heat and hot water in the winter in NYC apartments is just a NYCHA thing?
Happens all the time in my building, incredibly wealthy landlord, boiler new in 2009.
I had to laugh (not really) when I saw the word brownstone and then NYCHA. I live in a brownstone on W. 88thST that is not NYCHA, but a market rate CO OP., and have been suffering with poor heat for years. This year it has gotten especially bad. My elec tric bills have tripled from use of my electric heater. So there’s bad heat on both sides of the spectrum.
Do tenants have recourse (say, rent rabates) when heat or hot water or gas are suspended for any reason at all, whether for maintenance, upgrades or accidents?
i ask because i know of people who suffered such suspensions— originating with a gas leak—and had to seek alternative accommodation just to have access to necessary hot water.
O.M.G….NYCHA screwed-up! We are shocked! shocked!!
Is this ONLY the NYCHA properties, or are there adjacent non-NYCHA buildings affected as well?
Asking for a friend.