Riverdale trust cited over collapsed ceiling and blocked exits
The Elsie McLean Revocable Trust drew two Class 1 ECB violations and a DOB emergency order at 5992 Netherland Ave, Riverdale, on Sept. 30.
The Elsie McLean Revocable Trust is the respondent on two Class 1 ECB violations at 5992 Netherland Avenue in Riverdale, Bronx, after a Sept. 30 inspection found a collapsed ceiling and exits blocked by garbage. For anyone watching distressed or neglected one- and two-family stock in the north Bronx, it shows how the city’s paper trail starts well before any sale.
Why it matters
The trust, not a developer or an LLC, is the party the city holds responsible. ECB violation 39206180N says a shingle roof section was covered with a tarp, a small roof over the front entrance was missing, and a section of ceiling in the front-left room had collapsed. It cites failure to maintain the building in a code-compliant manner.
The second violation, 39206181P, is the sharper one for anyone inside. Inspectors recorded garbage roughly 2 to 3 feet deep blocking the passageway and the building’s egress, cited as a failure to provide an unobstructed exit. The record does not say who occupies the building or whether anyone was displaced, so we are not stating that.
The numbers
Each violation carries a $2,500 penalty, $5,000 combined, with a balance due of $2,500 on each and nothing paid as of the latest data. Both are Class 1 and both are set for a hearing on Dec. 4, 2026, with hearing status pending.
The same day, DOB logged an immediate emergency violation (V093026IMEGNCY20634) for the same building identification number, 2086349, with the remedy to seal up all accessible openings, windows and doorways. Those are the only two ECB records on the BIN in the dataset.
Ownership is the open question. The ACRIS legals for block 5957, lot 390 point to a recorded agreement, document 2006120701979001, with a zero stated amount, listing the Elsie McLean Revocable Trust Agreement and a John McLean trust as parties alongside Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy. We read that as context, not as proof of current title, and we have not confirmed a current deed.
What’s next
Watch for a DOB follow-up on the emergency order, any repair or demolition filing under the BIN, and the Dec. 4 hearing outcome. A recorded deed or lien on the lot would be the signal the property is moving. Related coverage of the borough is on the New York page.
On the record
What we checked ourselves, and where you can check it too.
- Public recordECB violation 39206180N, issued Sept. 30, 2026, cites a collapsed ceiling section in the front room and a missing roof section over the front entranceView the record on data.cityofnewyork.us
- Public recordA second Class 1 ECB violation, 39206181P, cites garbage 2 to 3 feet deep blocking the passageway and preventing egressView the record on data.cityofnewyork.us
- Public recordDOB immediate emergency violation V093026IMEGNCY20634 was also issued Sept. 30 and orders all accessible openings sealedView the record on data.cityofnewyork.us
On the record
- Primary recordNYC Department of Finance (ACRIS)Recorded agreement naming the McLean trusts, 5992 Netherland Avenue
- Also reported by
- NYC Department of Buildings (ECB violations)ECB violation 39206180N and 39206181P, 5992 Netherland Avenue
- NYC Department of Buildings (DOB violations)Immediate emergency violation V093026IMEGNCY20634, BIN 2086349