1503 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10029

1503 Lexington Avenue is a five-story, 17-unit Old Law Tenement building in East Harlem, owned by Edwina Musano and constructed in 1910. The building has experienced significant recent maintenance challenges, particularly in the past two years. Most notably, inspections in October 2023 revealed persistent issues in Apartment 12, including an active roach infestation (Class C violation), defective smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and various fire safety concerns in the fifth-story public hall including broken fire retardant material and required repainting.

The building has also grappled with recurring pest problems, evidenced by multiple 311 service requests in 2023 regarding unsanitary conditions and pests, along with inspections showing rat activity as recently as February 2025. Water-related issues have also been documented, with multiple complaints about damp spots in 2023. The property has a history of safety-related concerns, including three emergency heat/hot water complaints in January 2019, and four emergency conditions between 2022-2024 related to food establishment maintenance. A notable sanitary concern was documented in November 2022 regarding pigeon waste.

While the building's bedbug report filings from 2021 through 2024 show zero infested units during each reporting period, the persistent rodent activity suggests ongoing pest management challenges. The most recent plumbing and drainage issues from October 2023 resulted in violations being issued by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. All documented violations have been closed, but their recurrence indicates ongoing maintenance challenges. An after-hours work complaint in March 2024 was investigated but found no violations.