Exclusive | Turkish Consulate at center of Eric Adams indictment still not approved by NYC due to safety violations but has been open for months: audit
The Turkish Consulate in the Upper East Side that’s at the center of Mayor Eric Adams’ indictment has been open for months without any city approval, according to a shocking new audit.The 35-story building on First Avenue was denied a new temporary certificate of occupancy by the Department of Buildings on Sept.
26 and has been operating without valid inspections since October, according to city documents.The building has been mired in controversy as federal prosecutors in Manhattan allege Adams had cut through bureaucratic red tape to fast-track its opening at the urging of Turkish officials, who in exchange showered Adams with free and heavily discounted luxury travel.
The startling revelation emerged Wednesday in an investigation by the city’s Comptroller’s Office into how DOB approves the opening of buildings across the Big Apple.“By rushing to allow the opening of Turkish House in advance of a ribbon-cutting ceremony with President Erdoğan, DOB and FDNY cut serious corners that could have compromised the safety of the occupants and neighbors of the building,” Comptroller Brad Lander said.Adams, at the time the Brooklyn Borough President and Democratic nominee for mayor, is accused of leaning on then-Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro to green-light the consulate despite objections from the FDNY, which ruled the fire plan was lacking.
Fire officials later changed their tune and paved the way for the consulate to welcome the foreign dignitaries just days before the planned grand opening, the audit says.Adams has denied any wrongdoing and will stand trial in April.
Not one floor inside the Turkish house has been approved for occupancy despite DOB issuing 13 prior temporary approvals since its ribbon cutting in 2021, city records show.It was also the only building of a similar size allowed to open its doors without a fire plan, which hadn’t been approved until this past September, three years after opening, according to the 34-page audit.City recor...