79 Baxter Street, Manhattan, NY 10013

79 Baxter Street is a 5-story, 6-unit old law tenement building located in Chinatown, dating back to 1890 and currently owned by 79 Baxter St LLC. The building has faced several notable issues in recent years, most significantly concerning rodent activity.

In 2023, there was a documented period of rat infestation, with multiple bait applications between July and August 2023, and the building passed initial inspections in 2024-2025 following these interventions. The property has had recurring issues with timely filing of required safety inspections, including a dismissed violation in 2023 for failing to file the 2018 external low-pressure inspection, and a past violation in 2019 related to the 2017 boiler inspection. The building has maintained a relatively clean record regarding bedbug infestations, with four consecutive annual reports (2020-2024) showing zero infested or eradicated units, and the most recent 2025 report also indicating no bedbug activity.

A health department investigation into a food poisoning complaint in May 2023 concluded it was an isolated incident, though the Bureau of Food Safety was reviewing whether a sanitary inspection was warranted. The property has periodically experienced issues with compliance to housing maintenance codes, as evidenced by three separate violations between 2021-2023 concerning the annual bedbug report filing requirement, though these violations have since been closed. In terms of general building maintenance, the property has passed all recent rodent inspections following the 2023 baiting intervention, suggesting improvements in pest management, though the initial failed inspection in December 2023 indicates some challenges in this area prior to remediation efforts.