More than one hundred people had to evacuate the Park Avenue Armory Sunday during an art and antique show when a fire broke out in the basement, officials said.
The blaze started in the electrical room just before 4:15 p.m., an FDNY spokesman said. It was under control about an hour later, he added.
More than 50 art and antique dealers, on hand for the Spring Masters New York show, waited to be let back in. The smell of smoke permeated the sidewalk outside and the lobby of the building.
Michael Plummer, co-director of the show, said there was no damage to the art. “It was a very important crowd of collectors,” he said, but added that the exhibitors are “actually very good sports.”
The building, between 66th and 67th streets, originally was built in the 1800s as the Seventh Regiment Armory, according to its website. It currently hosts a variety of art and performance events.
