Brooklyn building collapse: A look at the borough’s history of structural failures

Brooklyn has seen building collapses in neighborhoods across the borough, from Williamsburg to Borough Park. Some have left residents injured or displaced, while others have killed construction workers and residents. The latest tragedy in Flatbush, where a three-story building crumbled on the afternoon of Nov. 11, killing eight people and injuring even more at the time of writing, has renewed questions about the safety of the borough’s aging building stock — and what happens when construction, demolition or inadequate structural maintenance puts that safety at risk. The collapse happened shortly after 4 p.m. at 1321 Flatbush Ave., near Bedford Avenue. The rear portion of the three-story building fell into an adjoining construction site, where excavation work had been underway. Emergency crews worked through the night searching the rubble, while the Department of Buildings began investigating what caused the structure to give way. The cause has not officially been determined.

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