The UJA-Federation of New York’s headquarters at 130 East 59th St. in Midtown was evacuated on Tuesday morning due to concerns over a weakened wall in the 17-story building’s basement.
The condition of the non-load-bearing wall, which is cracked and collapsing, prompted the building’s water to be shut off. UJA-Federation called FDNY and the city’s Department of Buildings, and the building was evacuated at around 10:40 a.m. Some 300 employees were given time to gather their belongings before departing, and were permitted to take the elevators.
Located at the corner of 59th Street and Lexington Avenue, the building abuts an an empty lot that recently took on rainwater that saturated the soil, FDNY spokesman Jim Long told Bloomberg.
“The building itself is structurally sound. It is not in danger of collapse,” he said in a statement. “The structural support members are intact and not impacted. The compromised wall is an infill wall in the cellar.”
UJA-Federation says it is the world’s largest local philanthropy and acts as a central address for the city’s 1 million Jews. It also leases part of the office building to other tenants.
An email sent to UJA-Federation employees on Tuesday afternoon said the building would be closed through Thursday, and attributed the issue to the vacant lot next door and said water lines would need to be rerouted.
“After further inspection by local authorities, it was determined that the wall in question is nonstructural, and non-load bearing, and FDNY has assured us that there are NO CONCERNS regarding the structural integrity of the building,” the email said.
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