(You can get a Microsoft Word document here that contains most of the photos shown below.)
Control panel of Elevator No. 3P854. This is the elevator on the southeast end of 255 Eastern Parkway. (1)
I was trapped in this elevator car for 10 minutes at approximately 3:00 pm EDT on Friday, 2004-09-17. I had entered the car while it was stopped at the 6th floor. The car's inner door closed; I pressed the "B" button and observed that none of the buttons would light up. The car did not move. The "Press to Call" button did not work. Fortunately, the "alarm" buttons worked, so I stood in the elevator car for 10 minutes with the alarm going off, and eventually someone came out and forced the elevator door open from the outside. Superintendent Anthony James was telephoned immediately afterward.
A photograph of the non-functional "push to talk" button in Elevator No. 3P854. (1)
Close-up of top of control panel of Elevator No. 3P854. (1)
"Emergency assistance" bell for Elevator No. 3P854, located in basement, next to the elevator door. This button doesn't work. (1)
Basement elevator door for Elevator No. 3P854. Observe the non-functioning "Emergency assistance" bell button to the right of the elevator door. (1)
Southwest corner of southeast laundry room in basement. Debris from corroding pipes falls continually on washing machine #7. I have personally witnessed a waterbug-type cockroach fall from this set of corroding pipes. (1)
A column of corroding pipes in the ceiling of the southwest corner of the southeast laundry room in the basement. Viewed from below, northeast. (1) (2)
Southeast corner of southeast laundry room in basement. Both electrical receptacles are cracked, an obvious code violation. (1)
Northeast wall of southeast laundry room in basement. The horizontal cold water pipe in this photograph -- the one that turns downward on the right third of the photograph -- sweats a lot. (1)
Recently patched section of drain stack in basement. The new pipe and rubber sections are black in color; the other sections are brown from rust. This drain stack was the one responsible for the large amount of raw sewage that trickled down into the crossway between the southeast and northwest halves of the basement. (1) (2)
Metal patch on drain stack in west corner of basement, near the workshop. View is from northwest, below. The patch is near the ceiling. This patch leaks profusely when it rains. (1) (2) (3)
Metal patch on drain stack in west corner of basement, near the workshop. View is from southeast, below. The patch is near the ceiling. This patch leaks profusely when it rains. (1)
Floor-mounted cleanout of same drain stack in west corner of basement, near the workshop. View is from southeast, looking down on the floor. When it rains, the cleanout bubbles and leaks profusely, and a puddle at least one foot in diameter forms. (1)
Basement elevator door for Elevator No. 3P853. Observe the non-functioning "Emergency assistance" bell button to the left of the elevator door. (1)
Close-up of top of control panel of Elevator No. 3P853. This is the elevator on the northwest end of 255 Eastern Parkway. (1)
A photograph of the non-functional "push to talk" button in Elevator No. 3P853. (1)
"Emergency assistance" bell for Elevator No. 3P853, located in basement, to the left of the elevator door. This button doesn't work. (1)
Recently patched section of drain stack in basement. Observe the unpatched hole in the ceiling. (1)
Close-up of unpatched hole in the ceiling. (Recently patched section of drain stack in basement.) (1)
Wooden panel in basement. Apparently this wooden panel is filling what used to be a window. This provides easy entry for vermin. (1) (2)
Patched section of drain stack in basement. (1) (2)
Northwest corner of southeast laundry room in basement. Corroding, leaking drain stack. (1) (2)
Construction debris and other trash in south corner of basement. (1) (2) (3)
