A building on Stillwell Avenue that has gone through numerous identities is, at least for the time being, without one.
1680 Stillwell Avenue, a building classified as a 1-story cabaret (meanig a bar or night club) by the city, has been shut down by the NYC Department of Buildings.
A vacate notice on the door reads that the DOB has “determined that conditions in this premise are imminently perilous to life. This premises has been vacated and reentry is prohibited until such conditions have been eliminated to the satisfaction of the department.” Those who violate the vacate order could be arrested.
The reason? “Severe water flooding and sagging floors,” reveals a handwritten note at the bottom. A representative from the DOB explained further: “In April, we inspected the property and found that the building’s floors were sagging due to an accumulation of water in the cellar. We also noted there was a crack running from the cellar to the building.”
In June, the DOB issued ownership a permit to repair the building, and the DOB added, “that permit is still active, and some requests have gone in which signals that they are in fact beginning the work to fix it up. When they do finish the work, we will do another inspection.”
“It’s a typical structural problem,” said Tom Poli, who owns the business, but not the property. “[The landlord] is fixing it… It might take a while.” Poli did not wish to say anything else yet on the issues with the property.
Neighbors have speculated that the water rushing through the crack in the foundation comes from the Hutchinson River.
The DOB first heard about potential problems from an anonymous complaint in the beginning of April. The inspection confirmedthat there were major issues.
The building at 1600 Stillwell, over the year, has been the location of many different businesses, including a couple of bars/cafes, one having been called Peppercorn, and also, according to unconfirmed local lore, the building was even at one time a rat-testing lab.
For now, anyone used to drinking at the Last Shot will have to go elsewhere.
