In a 17-story Ocean Parkway tower in Kensington, just getting home can feel like a daily gamble. Tenants say the building’s elevators are so unreliable that older adults, people with disabilities and families with small children regularly find themselves stranded or stuck. “It is extremely rare to go one day without the elevators being broken,” tenant Molly Dobkin said.
Neighbors estimate that more than 300 people live in the complex, and they say firefighters have been called out again and again to rescue riders trapped in the lifts, according to News 12. The Department of Buildings told the outlet it sent an inspector after a repair crew left and is issuing a summons because one elevator “stopped on every floor.” Records cited in the report show the building has racked up at least 15 elevator-related violations in the past four years.
Aging Gear and a Familiar Manager
Property listings describe the high-rise as a mid-1960s building and list Weinreb Management as the manager of the Ocean Parkway complex, according to StreetEasy. Separate reporting and court filings have flagged Weinreb’s broader portfolio for repeated maintenance problems and city enforcement actions, according to PincusCo.
Tenants Describe Cramped, Noisy Rides
Residents say that on some nights a single working elevator car is left to serve the entire building, which turns the lobby into a slow-motion bottleneck. People crowd into the remaining cab, and at one point the doorman had to step in. “The doorman basically had to start operating like a bouncer,” tenant Emma Manfredi told reporters, describing how staff tried to limit how many people could pile in at once.
Tenants add that elevator mechanics have become a near-constant presence in the building. A building employee told News 12 that the elevators date back to 1964, that replacement parts are difficult to find and that management is working on a full system replacement. An on-site worker who identified himself only as Peter summed up the situation bluntly: “I cannot fix this, OK?”
City Enforcement and Prior Penalties
The Department of Buildings’ enforcement bulletin lists penalties issued to Weinreb Management, including a fine for failing to post a Tenant Protection Plan at 455 Ocean Parkway. The record shows the agency has already sanctioned the owner for compliance lapses.
The Department of Buildings’ own enforcement bulletin also indicates that the landlord’s properties have accumulated hundreds of DOB and FDNY violations across multiple addresses. Tenants say that track record helps explain why real fixes can feel like they are always one step behind the next outage.
How Tenants Can Press for Fixes
Renters dealing with similar problems can file complaints through NYC 311 to request inspections and log conditions. They can also contact the Department of Buildings’ Elevator Unit for records and inspection requests, per the Department of Buildings.
Tenant advocates recommend keeping a written log of outages, saving 311 service request numbers and asking management in writing for documentation of repairs and any elevator modernization timetable. That paper trail can be crucial for inspectors, attorneys and organizing efforts if the situation drags on.
For now, residents say they want one thing above all: a clear schedule for a full elevator overhaul and dependable service. City inspectors have opened an inquiry, and tenants say they plan to keep the pressure on both building management and city agencies until a firm replacement plan is not just promised but underway.
