The Turkish Consulate General building, whose rushed opening is at the center of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' federal indictment, has been operating without a city-issued certificate of occupancy permit, an audit by the city Comptroller's office found.
The Turkish House, also known as the Turkevi Center, was the only office building of its size and category allowed to open without an approved Fire Protection Plan, Comptroller Brad Lander revealed on Wednesday.
Despite rejecting a deficient FPP, the New York City Fire Department allowed the Department of Buildings to issue a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy for the building on Sept. 17, 2021, just in time for the building’s ribbon-cutting on Sept. 20, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in attendance. The building was subsequently granted an additional 12 TCOs, with extensions approximately every ninety days, until Sept. 26, 2024, when the last one expired.
Turkish House is currently operating without a TCO or final Certificate of Occupancy, the audit found.
“By rushing to allow the opening of Turkish House in advance of a ribbon-cutting ceremony with President Erdoğan, DOB and FDNY cut serious corners that could have compromised the safety of the occupants and neighbors of the building,” said Lander.
The investigation also revealed systemic permitting and oversight issues, with 637 office buildings across the city currently lacking valid TCOs or final COs. Of those, 88 buildings have unresolved violations deemed “immediately hazardous," according to the audit.
Lander, who is running as a nominee against Adams in the June Democratic primary elections, called for stricter enforcement of safety protocols and improved coordination between DOB and FDNY.
