1289 St Johns Place, Brooklyn, NY 11213

The three-story, 12-unit building at 1289 St Johns Place in Crown Heights, constructed in 1906 and now under the ownership of Nathan Schwarcz, has experienced multiple maintenance issues over the past year. Most notably, there was a heat/hot water emergency reported in January 2025 affecting at least one apartment, and several complaints from December 2024 regarding various building systems including plumbing (basin/sink issues), door/window problems, paint/plaster concerns, water leaks, flooring issues, and unsanitary conditions including pests and mold. These December 2024 complaints all share a common pattern of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) inspectors being unable to gain access to the affected areas for proper inspection.

The building has also faced several significant maintenance challenges throughout 2024, including multiple Housing Maintenance Code violations that were eventually closed, involving various issues such as inadequate heat supply in Apartment 1D, defective doors in public areas, and repairs needed for both interior and exterior elements like the metal cornice, cement stucco, bathroom waste line, and fire-retardant plaster. There was a noteworthy violation regarding blocked fire escape egress at the second-story balcony, which was classified as a Class B violation. Despite these issues, the building has maintained a clean record regarding bedbugs, with no reported infestations in the last seven reporting periods from 2019 to 2025, and a successful passing inspection for rodents in June 2018, suggesting ongoing pest management compliance.

The most recent department activity includes an illegal conversion complaint from March 2024 that remained unresolved due to access issues during inspections. This extended period without access for inspections and the pattern of multiple complaints in recent months suggest ongoing access challenges for maintenance and inspection purposes. While many earlier violations from mid-2024 were addressed and closed by early 2025, the building continues to experience periodic maintenance issues that require resident complaints to trigger inspection processes.