Two more Curbed reader reports help clarify the situation at 74 Grand Street, the Leaning Tower of Soho:
1) "I went to look at it. The building is off plumb by a few feet. However, if you look where the floors join the east wall, you will see large gaps between the cast iron plates. This is what caused structural engineers to become reflective and thoughtful. The simple summary: if you tilt a brick and wood building, the mortar will crack and you will get a pile of individual bricks. When something similar happened to a similar building at Lafayette and Canal, it got torn down. This isn't something that can be fixed."
2) "74 grand is a co-op?not owned by the same folks who are developing the lot next door. In fact, the block association (including the owners and residents of 74) have been fighting with the developers for years. First a plan for a nightclub was blocked by neighborhood actions, including a rally with inspiring chants like 'no cheeseburger smell!' Next a plan was reluctantly OKed for the residential building. But no sooner was construction begun than the next door residents started complaining that the work was being done improperly. They went so far as to call in the Department of Buildings, which rubberstamped the dig. Since then, they have been carefully documenting the slow demise of their building, inch by inch. Thus let down by the city, the co-op board of 74 may lack the funds to properly ensure the stability of the building."
[photo via the 74 Grand gallery at pith.org]