Clark Street subway closed after Brooklyn Heights hotel marquee collapses

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Some subway service remains disrupted Monday after a Brooklyn hotel marquee came crashing down near the Clark Street station over the weekend.

The station will not reopen until the investigation is complete and to make sure another marquee is secure.

The MTA says 2 and 3 trains are not stopping at Clark Street in either direction. Subway riders are advised to consider boarding trains at nearby Borough Hall as an alternative.

The bigger of the two marquees on Henry Street came crashing down around 7 a.m. Sunday.

The 15-by-20-foot concrete and steel beam awning says the Hotel St. George, which opened more than 100 years ago. According to the Department of Buildings, the awning had corroded at several locations and engineers have similar concerns about a second awning on Clark Street.

While the subway operates underneath, the 12-story building, which was once the largest hotel in New York City, is now rented out by a company called Educational Housing Services, or EHS, which operates dorms.

No one was hurt, but had it been on a weekday morning, it could have been a different story.

Engineers met with MTA officials on Monday morning to assess the situation.

"This building has been, if you speak to many of the customers and the tenants that are in it, there have been issues for a little while that have not been resolved, and so when you look at the fact that there is an open violation for the building, you know, that says that the contract that the owner of the building needs to be more responsive in repairs," said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow.

The Department of Buildings has now issued two violations to the property owner, St. George Hotel Associates, for failing to maintain the building.

Ironically, MTA officials did a walkthrough of the location Friday because of complaints and DOB violations, but didn't examine the awnings.

Officials say the goal is to determine which entrance can be fixed faster to reopen the Clark Street station, but as of now, it is not likely for the Monday afternoon commute or the Tuesday morning commute.

Some residents wondered if the marquee collapse had anything to do with the mild earthquake Saturday night, but that seems unlikely, since it withstood the constant rumble of the subway for more than 100 years.

EHS released the following statement about the incident:

"We are aware of the collapse of the marquee at the St. George residence. We are relieved to report that no injuries were sustained, and we are thankful for the swift response of emergency personnel who secured the area quickly. While EHS provides student housing services within the St. George property, we are not the owners of the building. This has been reported to the public incorrectly by the MTA and several elected officials. We are in active communication with the building's ownership and management to ensure any necessary repairs are addressed promptly. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."

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