421 Crown Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225

The 4-story, 39-unit tenement building at 421 Crown Street in Crown Heights, built in 1923 and currently owned by Laurenceau Weiner, has experienced several significant maintenance and safety issues over the past few years. Between late 2023 and 2025, the building has documented multiple instances of water-related problems, including slow leaks and plumbing issues affecting sinks and bathtubs, as well as electrical concerns such as inadequate lighting and wiring problems.

In late 2024, building inspections revealed several open violations related to fire safety, including defective self-closing doors and broken latches on fire doors, as well as issues with the chimney's structure. A concerning pattern of rodent activity has been recorded, with the most recent inspections in 2025 showing both rat and mouse sightings, though the building passed the most recent rodent inspection in May 2025. The property has also faced challenges with bedbug infestations, with one unit documented as infested in the most recent reporting period (2025), following a period in 2023-2024 with no reported cases, and an earlier outbreak affecting four units in 2022.

Multiple Environmental Control Board violations remain active, including one from May 2024 regarding masonry issues and another from October 2024 related to unauthorized electrical work. Importantly, there are several active Department of Buildings violations related to the failure to certify corrections of immediately hazardous conditions and to file required energy benchmarking reports, indicating potential regulatory compliance issues. Recent 311 service requests have primarily focused on pest control matters, though the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has conducted inspections that generally did not result in violations, with the notable exception of the April 2025 mouse sighting complaint that resulted in a closure without violations being found.