Demolition work was nearly complete at 215 Pearl Street (1831), when large cracks in the brickwork were found on the wall of adjacent 213 Pearl Street (1831). Tenants of that building were evacuated and DOB officials issued a 'Stop Work Order' at the site, quickly cutting the engine on a 30 ton Hitachi Zaxis 200 excavator. That piece of equipment had replaced low impact hand demolition in the final days. The repair work will likely be complete long before liability and legal issues are resolved.
213 Pearl (built 1831) is now the last building standing from New York's first world trade center, and a symbol of the city's transformation into America’s commercial capital. The property belongs to a young widow, who is a descendent of ‘Hercules Mulligan’, a Patriot spy and tailor who lived at 218 Pearl Street. Realty giant Rockrose Development Corp. owns the entirety of the block that surrounds this relic of American commercial history.
