Williamsburg - Construction Stopped At The Finger Building

Williamsburg - The developer of the "Finger Building" may have demolished his chances of finishing the huge condo project after he tore down a nearby warehouse.
City Buildings Department officials halted work last month at 144 N.Eighth St. to investigate the illegal demolition of a one-story warehouse on the footprint of the planned 220-foot tower.
Permits for the developer did not call for the demolition of the warehouse, said Buildings Department spokeswoman Ilyse Fink. "By demolishing the building, which was not what they originally represented, they may have jeopardized" their project, Fink said.
If more than 50% of the warehouse was brought down - the threshold for a demolition - then the project could be subject to more restrictive zoning, Fink said, "The question is, how much did they really take down?" Fink said.

But the lawyer for the developer said that only 42% of the warehouse's floor area was removed, "We are within the percentage required by the zoning," He said. "We believe we'll resolve the situation soon so we can get back to work."
But Williamsburg activists who fought the Finger Building - their nickname for the structure because they feel it resembles an upturned finger and a rude gesture to the low-rise neighborhood - charged that the entire warehouse had been demolished.