204 West 55th Street, Manhattan, NY 10019

204 West 55th Street is an 8-story, 48-unit old law tenement building constructed in 1900, currently owned by Harry Persaud. The building has experienced persistent heating and hot water issues throughout 2023-2025, with multiple emergency complaints filed through January 2025, though HPD inspections have often been unable to gain access to conduct thorough examinations.

Notable infrastructure concerns include active violations regarding building façade maintenance, with issues documented in 2023-2024 related to safety measures, spalling bricks, and degraded mortar joints, resulting in significant penalties totaling over $10,000. The building has multiple open violations from 2023, including problems with heat and hot water systems, fire escape safety, and various maintenance issues in apartment 301A (including mold, water leaks, and damaged surfaces). There are also recurring issues with the building's inspection and reporting compliance, particularly regarding the required annual bedbug reports and facade inspections.

The building's maintenance history shows a pattern of unresolved and recurring issues, including defects in the fire escape system, heating infrastructure, and façade maintenance. While rodent inspections from 2010-2014 showed generally passing results, and the building has maintained a "no infestation" status on bedbug reports from 2018-2021, the most pressing current concerns relate to heat and hot water reliability, façade safety, and compliance with inspection requirements. Recent Department of Buildings actions in January 2025 included a Partial Vacate Order, and there are multiple active ECB violations related to façade maintenance requirements, including a failure to provide adequate safety measures and maintain exterior building conditions.