By Esti DeAngelis, Opinions Editor
A section of sidewalk scaffolding collapsed on Amsterdam Avenue Sunday morning outside Yeshiva University’s Belz Building on the Wilf campus. No injuries were reported.
YU students were first informed of the collapse in a schoolwide email sent out at 9:44 AM, which stated an incorrect location of the collapse. “There has been a scaffolding collapse on the 185th Street Pedestrian Plaza outside the Belz Building,” the email stated, adding that the police and fire departments were on the scene and cautioning students to avoid the area.
A second email sent at 10:24 informed students that the Belz Building had been temporarily closed and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) had closed off parts of Amsterdam Avenue from west 184th to west 185th Street as well as parts of the west 185th Street Plaza for “safety reasons.” The email added that students could access the Gottesman Library and the Gluek Building from a side door outside the affected area.
“My friend and I were in the Rubin lobby, and we heard a loud crashing outside,” Ezra Lebowitz (YC ‘28) told the YU Observer. “We turned our heads and saw the entire scaffolding toppling down.” Lebowitz added that security informed him they did not think anyone was hurt.
Joey Winer (SSSB ‘26) told the YU Observer that he saw construction workers on the roof that morning, heard a crack and saw an entire row of bricks fall from the top of the building, which crashed through the scaffolding. Winer also said he saw a mother and her child walking under the scaffolding about 30 seconds before it fell, but that luckily she was not there when it fell.
Other students reported broken glass on the floor of Furst Hall. “All the rubble was on the ground, then when we went to the room in Furst there was broken glass from the window on the floor,” Liela Silbiger (SCW ‘27), who was there for a Chess Club event, told the YU Observer.
Following the incident, the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) issued a partial stop work order for the Belz Building, citing a “violation for failure to certify correction of class 1 violation.” According to the New York City law, class one violations refer to “immediately hazardous violations.”
To certify a correction, a building that receives a violation must file certification with the DOB stating that the “condition has been corrected.” New York City law states that failing to certify a correction of a class one violation results in a $5,000 fine for buildings larger than four-family apartment buildings.
The YU Observer also found that the Belz Building has seven active violations with the DOB going back as far as Dec. 2023. Five of these violations are from 2024 and cite a “failure to certify correction on immediately hazardous (class 1) ECB [Environmental Control Board] violation.” Though some of the ECB violations themselves have been resolved, violation details tell of loose or detached bricks and a “failure to institute safety measures” for workers.
One violation from Aug. 2024, still active with the DOB and unresolved by the ECB, cites issues with the sidewalk scaffolding. “At time of inspection I observed supported pipe scaffold erected and inadequately maintained throughout [the] jobsite,” the inspector noted at the time. Sunday’s violation references improperly maintained pipe scaffolding as well. “Structure rendered noncompliant, due to a 70’ X 60’ of brick facade falling on the sidewalk shed, a 70’ X 0” collapsed and section leaning,” the violation description states, adding, “Pipe scaffolding left unsupported.”
YU’s most recent work permit regarding installing pipe scaffolding was issued in July 2024, one month before the first scaffolding-related violation. The construction coincides with an ongoing plan to renovate Furst Hall and rename it the Belz Building, an announcement that was made by YU in July 2022 following a $20 million donation from the Belz family of Memphis, Tennessee. Part of this plan includes efforts to “modernize and renovate the interior and exterior of the building.”
Following the scaffolding collapse, Shoshana Fisher (SCW ‘26) told the YU Observer that the Chess Club was forced to relocate a high school chess tournament from the fifth floor of Furst to the Rubin Shul per the advice of firefighters and YU security. “While the firefighters originally gave us permission to continue using the room, they soon expressed concerns that the scaffolding would further collapse and might fall in the direction of the building, which could injure the people in the room,” she said. She added that it was “comforting to know that firefighters, security and YU personnel were so responsive and helpful.”
“The NYPD, FDNY and the Department of Buildings have been on site to assess the situation and have determined that the building is safe,” a spokesperson for YU told the YU Observer. “Currently the area is being cleaned and the scaffolding is being repaired. Once that is completed the building will be able to be reoccupied.” The spokesperson also reiterated that there were no injuries due to the collapse.
The FDNY’s Customer Service Center answered the YU Observer’s request for comment with an automated reply, stating that they would respond “as soon as possible, typically within 5 business days.” A customer service representative at NYC311 told the YU Observer that he did not see reports of a scaffolding collapse on his broadcast and could not provide any further information.
YU security did not respond to a request for comment by the YU Observer.
“Baruch Hashem, nobody was hurt,” Schneur Friedman (YC ‘25) told the YU Observer of witnessing the “pretty loud” collapse from his kitchen. “But as one of many people who walk under the Amsterdam section several times a day – it’s more than a little concerning. What if this had happened at a busier time, G-d forbid?”
Photo Caption: The scaffolding collapse outside the Belz building
Photo Credit: The YU Observer