The exterior of a Chelsea brownstone collapsed onto a busy sidewalk Monday morning.
The facade on W. 20th St.near Ninth Ave. came crumbling down around 9:30 a.m. Nobody was injured in the collapse, according to an FDNY spokesman.
The part of the building that crumbled was “not structural, just ornamental,” the FDNY spokesman said, noting the building was not at risk of falling down entirely.
City Department of Buildings inspectors launched an investigation after the collapse.
“Building owners are responsible for maintaining the facade of their building and we will work to ensure owners take that responsibility seriously,” said DOB spokeswoman Abigail Kunitz.
The frightening collapse comes less than two months after celebrated architect Erica Tishman was killed by debris that fell from a brick tower in Midtown.
