239 1st Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10003

The four-story, three-unit Old Law Tenement building at 239 1st Avenue in Gramercy, built in 1950 and currently owned by Lisa Czolacz, has experienced several significant maintenance and safety issues over the past few years. Most notably, there have been recurring rodent problems, with the building undergoing multiple inspections between 2023 and 2025 that consistently indicated rodent activity, though recent inspections in 2024 and 2025 reported compliance with health standards. The building faced multiple emergency complaints in July 2022, including issues with electrical power outages, fire escape safety, plumbing water supply, and unsanitary garbage/recycling storage, though inspections found no violations in these cases.

A heat and hot water complaint from December 2022 could not be inspected due to access issues. The property also has a history of food establishment violations, with complaints in 2022 regarding bare hands in contact with food and previous rodent/insect/garbage issues that drew Department of Health and Mental Hygiene attention. Recent records show the building has maintained a bedbug-free status since 2018, with no reported infestations over the past seven years.

Two permits were issued for the building in 2019 and 2020, one for elevator works and another for alteration work. A notable vacate order was addressed in 2024 with no violations found upon inspection. The building's recent rodent control history shows some improvement, with more passed inspections in 2024-2025 compared to earlier years, though the frequency of initial inspections showing rat activity in 2023-2024 suggests ongoing monitoring is required.