The Clark Street subway station reopened on Tuesday after a historic Brooklyn hotel marquee came crashing down in front of it over the weekend.
The Brooklyn Heights station, home to the 2 and 3 trains, reopened at 7:28 a.m. on Aug. 5, a pleasant surprise for riders during rush hour. The MTA confirmed the trains are making stops at Clark Street in both directions, and commuters have already started using the station.
The station reopened after the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) investigation of the awning collapse concluded, the MTA said.
The DOB confirmed that the vacate order for the subway entrance has been lifted.
FDNY sources said the incident occurred around 7:08 a.m. on Aug. 3, less than a day after the metro area experienced a rare earthquake — though it does not appear that the tremor caused the collapse. Emergency crews received a call that the massive 10×20 marquee came tumbling down in front of the subway station located near 100 Henry St..
No injuries were reported.
The awning on Henry Street collapsed due to the “severe disrepair of the steel beams, which were completely corroded through at multiple locations,” a DOB spokesperson said. The agency issued two violations to the property owner for “failure to properly maintain” two awnings at the site.
“We are grateful that no one was hurt in this incident,” the spokesperson said. “Property owners should be aware that they have an important legal responsibility to properly upkeep their buildings in a safe condition. As we saw with this awning collapse earlier this week, failing to implement appropriate maintenance procedures can result in extreme hazards for the public.”
Council Member Lincoln Restler, who represents the area, had been pushing to get the station reopened since it closed on Sunday following the incident. He was at the scene when scaffolding was being installed around the collapsed structure on Monday.
“As of 6:45 a.m., NYC buildings has approved reopening the Clark Street subway station. The MTA has been at the ready and the subway should be running imminently,” he said on Aug. 4.
