587 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY 11225

The 36-unit, 4-story New Law Tenement at 587 Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights, owned by David Fischer and constructed in 1923, has experienced several significant maintenance issues over recent years. Most notably, there are ongoing concerns with rodent activity, with multiple inspections from 2023 through 2025 confirming rat presence, though bait has been applied in response to these findings.

In 2024, the building faced repeated Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) complaints regarding food establishment sanitation, specifically related to rodents, insects, and garbage. The property is currently under scrutiny for several open lead paint violations as of February 2024 across multiple apartments (2B, 7B, 14B, 16D, and 18AB), along with two Class C violations from December 2023 related to failure to notify occupants about lead paint hazards and for not providing required documentation to the Department. The building's maintenance history includes a heat and hot water complaint for the entire building in March 2024, various paint/plaster issues in late 2022, and multiple violations addressed in late 2022/early 2023 involving safety sprinklers, power outages, and general ventilation systems.

Recent rodent inspections in 2025 continue to suggest an unresolved pest management challenge. While the building has maintained a zero-record of bedbug infestations since 2019, other structural and maintenance concerns persist, including an active complaint from November 2024 regarding an alleged illegal conversion, though the inspector was reportedly unable to gain access for verification. The Department of Buildings has issued multiple violations throughout the years, including a 2024 citation for failure to file the 2023 external low-pressure inspection, though this violation was later dismissed.