257 West 137th Street, Manhattan, NY 10030

The five-story, 5-unit building at 257 West 137th Street in Harlem, owned by Shaka Lumumba, has a long history dating back to 1910 and has undergone conversion to a Class A multiple dwelling. Recent issues have primarily centered around plumbing and heating systems, with the most recent complaint in October 2024 regarding water supply problems that HPD was unable to inspect. A February 2023 heat/hot water issue was resolved relatively quickly.

The building is currently facing several notable violations as of October 2024, including failure to maintain proper door self-closing mechanisms, inadequate posting of required safety and regulatory notices (including those for carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, and gas leak procedures), and concerns about a loose handrail on the 4th story. An April 2024 violation regarding failure to file an annual bedbug report remains open. The Department of Buildings has an active violation from November 2019 related to failure to file the 2017 annual boiler inspection report, though this is now several years old.

Despite these issues, the building has consistently passed regular rodent inspections, with the most recent in April 2025 showing no violations. It's worth noting that there have been multiple complaints about heating and water systems in recent years, including the February 2023 heat issue and the more recent plumbing problem. The building's record shows regular attention to rodent control, with inspections consistently passing since at least 2018.