By Raanan Geberer
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

COURT STREET — In the wake of Thursday’s collapse of a roof and several floors at the rear addition to a largely vacant four-story building in Cobble Hill, the Department of Buildings has decided that the three-story annex must be demolished.

The collapse itself took place about 3:30 in the morning at 217 Court St., near Warren Street. Firefighters responded to the scene and no one was injured, although the accident reportedly caused big traffic tie-up.

Department of Buildings spokeswoman Carly Sullivan said it was too early to tell the cause of the building, but one fire official who was at the scene was quoted on Brownstoner as saying that several days of heavy rain might have exacerbated the situation.

A look at the Department of Buildings’ web site showed a troubled history for the building in general. Seven complaints are listed going back to 1992, including one — just yesterday — for “Certificate of Occupancy — None/Illegal/Contrary to Code.� Also issued Thursday was a summons for “Failure to Maintain.�

Last November, a complaint was issued for “Work Without a Permit,� although that was later resolved. Ms. Sullivan said it was unclear whether work was going on in the building recently, but added that the first floor may have been occupied by a methadone clinic. Further construction violations were issued in 2006 and 2007.

The building’s owner is listed as NRI Group, LLC, and the organization indeed is a provider of “substance abuse treatment� — which usually includes methadone. The group has several clinics in the metropolitan area, but the home address given by the city is on Willis Avenue in Mineola, Long Island. Attempts to contact the group or its lawyer yesterday were unsuccessful.

The overall building has an interesting history. A document from 1936 says that at that time, it had a bar-restaurant on the first floor, a meeting hall above, and one apartment on the top floor. In the 1990s, the building was owned by the Brotherhood of Carpenters.

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