[fruttomma]

Early in the morning hours- around 2:00am. the brownstones
on the south west corner of 37th and 9th, shot up a
roaring blaze of flame and thick acrid smoke!
The firemen have been cutting holes in the roof trying
(in what seems like a vain attempt) to put out the
fire.
I tried to take photos but it was too dark and smokey
(my whole loft smells like burnt plastic now).
I hope nobody gets/got hurt.

[yespkorg]

SW Corner?

Hoping you don't mean the empty set at the NW corner of Ninth / 37th running from Number 485-491 with the boarded up storefronts ...

*

[hubua990]

Is that where the Cupcake Cafe' used to be?

[Fdmnrnba]

Lofter you called the address right! I was on my back terrace, and they are on the sw corner from my vantage point.
The roof tops of the three end buildings are gone.
The corner building had it's ornate cornice damaged.
The next building north was gutted.
The 3rd building (north), had it's top floor gutted.
The fire department is still there at 11:30 am today.
I heard the landlord was a real piece of work, and has wanted these buildings to come down for more than 20 years-
seems suspicious to me?!
Stache-Cupcake used to be on the other side of the street, and two blocks north.

[Pcodaygs]

I noticed a few months ago that workers were clearing stuff out of the basements along here. Big padlocks on all the boarded up storefront doors. But it appeared that the coors leading to the walk-up apartments above were not padlocked. Not sure itf there were still occupants upstairs or not.

Some good enlargeable photos of this group HERE

[vekiuytyh]

There were/are a few hold out renters in all those buildings.
They are the bain of that landlords existence.
He's been trying to get them out for years.
Also been trying to pull down the whole block to put up
something else. When the lot that is now empty, on the north side of the block
came down, that was suspicious as well.

[Texdolley]

DOB lists the owner as a Partnership out of Great Neck, Long Island and names DAVID ISRAEL as a Principal

HPD (NYC Housing Preservation & Development) lists a number of residential units on the site(s) with a recent Registration at December 2008.

Hope that no one was hurt or lost their home in the conflagration.

[b3JOkwXL]

Someone must be looking for insurance payouts to supplement cash flow.

[Gremlinn]

I think I know a blind retiree that had an apt. in one of those buildings.