New developments cause collateral damage to neighbors

Renovations and demolition in city buildings sometimes damages older adjacent buildings, even making some buildings uninhabitable. A landmarked 1872 cast-iron building on 287 Broadway now leans precariously to one side after the neighboring site was demolished and excavated to make way for a 20-story residential tower, forcing residents and businesses to vacate. Long wooden supports against the exterior wall now hold up the building. Nearby on West Broadway, construction of Smyth, a Jason Pomeranc-owned luxury hotel condominium hotelier, was halted after it caused a building housing a family business to close.