Partial roof collapse 658 Washington @ Bergen

The slow-moving Brookland Capital project to convert the old 3-story brick building on the NW corner of Washington and Bergen to a 4-story mixed-use hit a snag this morning when part of the roof caved in onto a newly-built 2nd floor.

Per FDNY on the scene, there were no injuries.

We'd been watching a small crew hand-disassemble part of the rear of the building, brick-by-brick back this summer. Appears no demolition permits were ever pulled.

The building is gutted and pretty ramshackle - was frankly surprised Brookland was bothering to try to incorporate the old brick structure into the new building. But guessing (see Billiard Factory Lofts on St Marks) that calling it a "modification" - rather than a new-build - carries some substantial tax benefits and/or less of a DOB permit burden. Even though by the time these "conversion" projects are complete, you're hard-pressed to find elements of the original structure in them (HT to WhyNot).

Anyway, expect a long Stop-Work Order, followed by demolition and replacement of 658 Washington now. It's a shame to lose the historic building because a developer was trying to save a few bucks.