UPDATE: 408-410 Warren Street

Jamie Larson takes up the story of 408-410 Warren Street in today's Register-Star: "Ceiling collapses; lands on 9 people." The article reports that Assistant Code Enforcement Officer Kenneth Ellsworth said it appeared that "the potentially leak-damaged plaster of the original ceiling separated from the rafters bringing the drop ceiling down with it, crashing down on the gathered group of adults and youths in the room." The building's owner, Phil Gellert is quoted in the article as saying, "I can't see how nine people could go to the hospital for that."

The article talks about the number of appearance tickets Gellert has been issued for code violations and concludes, "Ellsworth said he couldn’t estimate a guess at how many times the building owner has been cited for issues at his numerous Hudson rentals." Among the citations for such health and safety issues as blocked exits, electrical violations, lack of smoke detectors, roach infestation, excessive garbage, and improper vehicle storage, Gellert has also been cited for violating Hudson's historic preservation law by removing and destroying original Victorian doors at 223-225 Allen Street and replacing them with mismatched metal doors. 

Last November, when Gellert was about to enter into a lucrative deal with Columbia County to use two apartments in one of his buildings on Columbia Street for transitional housing, Gossips did this photo inventory of the buildings Gellert owns in the city.

CBS6 TV in Albany did a story about the collapsed ceiling which aired on the 6 o'clock news on Tuesday, July 5. Here's the link to the story and the video.