Clark Street station reopens after hotel awning collapse
The Hotel St. George Awning before collapse. Image via WikiCommons
Subway service has been restored at the Clark Street station in Brooklyn Heights following the collapse of a concrete awning on Sunday. A video posted to social media by Council Member Lincoln Restler captured the moment the 15-by-20-foot awning on Henry Street came crashing down over the station entrance. Service was suspended at the station after the Department of Buildings (DOB) had found a similar structure above another entrance unsafe. As of Tuesday morning, the vacate order was lifted, and subway service was restored.
The large overhang reading “Hotel St. George” collapsed just after 7 a.m. Sunday near 100 Henry Street. Fortunately, no one was injured. According to the DOB, the structure showed signs of poor maintenance, including corroded steel beams, PIX11 reported. Had the collapse occurred at 7 a.m. during weekday rush hour, the likelihood of serious injury would have been very high.
”I was shocked by the collapse,” Restler told Gothamist. “We are very lucky that this happened at 7 a.m. on a Sunday, because if it happened at 7 a.m. any other day of the week, we would’ve in all likelihood encountered serious injuries, if not fatalities.”
Once the largest hotel in New York City, the Hotel St. George includes sections dating back to the late 19th century. Today, its marquee and entrance are owned and operated by a private company, Educational Housing Services. The building now houses retailers and apartments, with its former lobby—built in 1919—serving as the entrance to the 2 and 3 subway lines.
A 2024 inspection by a private engineering firm found unsafe conditions related to the building’s facade, prompting the owners to obtain permits for repairs. The DOB is currently inspecting the second awning and has issued two violations for failure to properly maintain the structure. The agency has also ordered engineers to repair the awning.
Restler said the Clark Street station has a long history of poor conditions. He’s received complaints from constituents for years, describing the station as “grimy” and “abysmal.” Just two days before the collapse, Restler toured the station with NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow to show its decrepit state, according to Gothamist.
“The recurrent stench of sewage, the deep grime, and extreme heat all need to be addressed. This near tragedy must be a call to action to significantly improve conditions at Clark Street station,” Restler wrote in a post on Instagram.
Before the second awning was declared unsafe, subway service continued at the station. However, at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, transit officials announced that the 2 and 3 trains would skip the station entirely.
The MTA recommends using the Borough Hall station as the best alternative for travel to Manhattan on the 2 and 3 trains. For the latest service updates, visit the MTA’s website.
Editor’s note: The original version of this article was published on August 4 and has since been updated with information on the reopening of Clark Street station on Tuesday.
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