170 5th Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10010

170 5th Avenue is an 11-story converted old law tenement building located in Manhattan's Flatiron District, constructed in 1898 and currently owned by Bruce Holley. The building has experienced several significant maintenance and safety-related issues in recent years, warranting attention. Most notably, in July 2023, multiple violations were issued regarding the boiler room equipment, including three separate citations for the lack of spill switches in the flue piping for gas-burning appliances, and issues with one of the boilers' pressure relief valve leaking, causing flooding in the boiler room floor.

These violations were subsequently resolved, with no penalties imposed. The building's boiler system appears to have been a recurring concern, as evidenced by a July 2023 complaint about defective/inoperative equipment that resulted in an Oath violation being served. The property has maintained a clean record regarding bedbug infestations, with no reported cases in the annual bedbug report filings from 2019 through 2024. However, the building's compliance with various safety and maintenance standards has been inconsistent, as demonstrated by a pattern of complaints and violations.

For example, there were two complaints in 2024-2025 regarding a sidewalk shed and a potentially dangerous sign, though no violations were found upon inspection. The building's operational history includes multiple permit issuances between 2019 and 2021 for various maintenance and repair work, suggesting regular upkeep of building systems. While the rodent inspection results from 2010 through 2018 show mostly passing grades, there was one instance of rat activity noted in June 2018, indicating occasional pest control challenges. The building also underwent an energy benchmarking reporting violation in 2022, though this was ultimately dismissed upon confirmation of submission.