LIC Staircase Collapses; Tenant Caught In Debris

LIC Staircase Collapses; Tenant Caught In Debris

 

5 Pointz building at 5-11 Davis St., L.I.C.

By LIZ GOFF
Officials at the New York city Department of Buildings (DOB) last week released the results of a preliminary investigation that showed neglect and a pattern of failed maintenance were responsible for the collapse of an outdoor staircase at a Long Island City building.

Jewelry designer, and tenant in the building Nicole Gagne, 27, remains in critical condition in the Trauma Unit at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where she was taken after an external staircase at the 5 Pointz building collapsed on April 10, trapping her under some 20 feet of bricks and debris.

Gagne, a graduate of Parsons School of Design, left her art studio at the building at 45-11 Davis St. at about 6 p.m. and was heading to the street when a 20-foot section of the staircase gave way on the third floor of the local landmark building, fire officials said.

Passersby and eyewitnesses told police they heard a loud rumble as the staircase collapsed. “I watched her walking down the stairs, and all of a sudden she was falling with the stairs and concrete,” said Larisa Dekermendzhi, 55, an artist who lives nearby. “It sounded like a bomb,” Dekermendzhi said. “Suddenly, all you could see were the cement blocks with her feet sticking out.”

Fire officials said passersby joined emergency responders in digging through the rubble to free Gagne.

The Vermont native moved to New York City in 1990 to attend Parsons School of Design and fell in love with the nightlife, culture and pace of the city. Gagne later established her company, Leoworks, to design high-end jewelry sold in expensive boutiques.

A DOB spokesperson said the building owner, G&M Realty of Edgewood, New York, was cited five times last year for illegally converting the former factory into artists’ studios. The building, a local landmark, is known for its colorful, graffiti-covered exterior, a selling point that draws artists to the area.

Building tenants said they weren’t surprised to learn that lack of maintenance played a part in the staircase collapse. “It’s colorful, fun and kitschy,” said one tenant. “But you can see by looking at the exterior that the building needs a lot of restoration and maintenance.”

Neighbors said they were shocked when they learned Gagne was trapped under the rubble, and relieved that she made it out alive.

“She is such a little person, to be buried underneath all those bricks,” Sandy, a fellow artist who lives nearby said, “It’s a miracle she survived.”

Bellevue Hospital officials said that Gagne underwent surgery on Friday night and is expected to make a full recovery.