According to block residents, 670 Bushwick Ave, nicknamed Cook Mansion after one of several famous residents who occupied the building since its construction shortly before the beginning of the 20th century, had been the scene of a lively party until about 12:30, when the deck on the back of the building tore away from the side of the building.
“It sounded like a car ripping,” neighbor John Theo Norville tells Bushwick Daily, noting that the sound of the deck falling had been followed by the screams of those injured in the collapse.
13 people sustained injuries, two of whom were in serious but non life threatening condition, and were transported to nearby hospitals.
Department of Buildings records for the address that do not include any permits issued for work on the deck (the earliest available work permit is dated 2007).
Cook Mansion, which is subdivided into several apartment units, one of which was posted to Craigslist in 2014, was designated a landmark in 2013. It was erected by brewery doyenne Caterina Lipsius, and at one point housed William Ulmer, another Bushwick brewer whose company’s former office building on Belvidere street is often used as a filming location, before it became the home of Dr. Frederick Cook, an explorer (not to be confused with British explorer James Cook).
Images taken by Scarlett North-Cavanaugh for Bushwick Daily.