1 East 124th Street, Manhattan, NY 10035

The 4-story, 10-unit building at 1 East 124th Street in East Harlem, owned by Jack Cattan, has a troubling history of maintenance issues since 2018. Most notably, the building experienced significant fire damage affecting multiple apartments (21, 22, 31, 41, and 51) in February 2018, resulting in Class C violations that remain open. From 2021 to the present, there is a persistent pattern of non-compliance with bedbug report filings, with four consecutive open Class A violations between 2021 and 2024.

The property has also faced multiple serious structural and maintenance violations, including spalling concrete and deteriorating window frames documented in a July 2023 Environmental Control Board violation with a $12,500 penalty. More recently, the building has been grappling with ongoing rodent issues, with multiple inspections showing rat activity and the application of bait between 2023 and 2025. The Department of Buildings has issued several active violations for failure to file external low-pressure inspections between 2018 and 2023, suggesting neglect of essential safety systems.

The building's maintenance history reveals a pattern of unresolved issues that could affect resident quality of life and safety. The rodent infestation problem appears to be chronic, with multiple inspections between 2024 and 2025 showing continued activity. The violation for fire damage in multiple apartments from 2018 indicates a significant past safety incident, while the ongoing bedbug report violations demonstrate non-compliance with housing maintenance requirements. The most recent structural violation from July 2023 regarding deteriorating window frames and spalling concrete, combined with multiple unaddressed low-pressure inspection violations, raises concerns about the building's overall maintenance and safety compliance.