In 2017, the Department of Buildings ordered the LED billboard on the Ameritania Hotel at 230 West 54th Street removed. Eight years later it is still running, shining into roughly 180 apartments. This page is the public record of the fight to enforce the law: every document, both investigations, and every records request we have filed.
Campaign Documents
Evidence Package, April 2026. The 24-page case sent to fourteen elected offices at launch.
Addendum, May 6, 2026. Corrections and new findings from the first FOIL productions.
Update, July 2026. Section 3 of the addendum is out of date on two items. The denial of the legislative correspondence request, FOIL-2026-810-01904, was appealed and the appeal was granted on May 15, 2026. DOB produced the June 11, 2019 Rosenthal letter and its internal 2019 email chain, and continues to withhold one record, the draft written response it prepared and chose not to send, under Public Officers Law section 87(2)(g). Separately, the appeal of the FOIL-01965 dismissal was granted in full on June 15, 2026, producing a 1971 sign permit and a 77-image microfilm archive of this address’s sign history. The document above is preserved exactly as distributed on May 6.
Standing One-Pager, May 12, 2026. The campaign on one page.
Standing One-Pager, May 12, 2026
Five Points Rebuttal, May 18, 2026. DOB gave elected offices a five-point defense of the sign. This answers each point from DOB’s own records.
Five Points Rebuttal, May 18, 2026
Council Member Brewer’s Letter to DOB, May 11, 2026. Council Member Gale Brewer’s letter to Commissioner Ahmed Tigani asking DOB to enforce the documented violations.
Council Member Brewer’s Letter to DOB, May 11, 2026
Articles
Remove Illegal Sign — May 8, 2026. The order a Department of Buildings inspector wrote by hand on three violations in 2017. The sign is still there.
The Phone Call in Lieu — July 19, 2026. How the Department of Buildings answered a sitting Assembly Member’s written inquiry about the sign with a phone call instead of the written response it had drafted.
The Record
The campaign has filed eleven Freedom of Information Law requests with the Department of Buildings. The principal requests are listed below.
Key dates from the public record:
- March 2016 — Sign permit application filed (Job #122707400)
- March 2017 — Permit approved 48 hours after its second disapproval
- October 2017 — Three ECB violations issued ordering sign removal
- June 2019 — Assembly Member Rosenthal writes to DOB Commissioner identifying wrong statute applied
- November 2019 — DOB answers by phone; drafted written response not sent
- April 2026 — W50s NA launches campaign, files first FOIL requests
- May 2026 — Evidence Package Addendum and Five Points Rebuttal distributed
- May 15, 2026 — FOIL appeal granted, Rosenthal letter and internal chain produced
- June 2026 — CB5 informed of brightness agreement; campaign escalates
Principal FOIL requests filed with the Department of Buildings:
| Request | Subject | Status |
|---|---|---|
| FOIL-2026-810-01904 | Sign permits, inspection reports, ECB violations, legislative correspondence | Closed — appeal granted in part |
| FOIL-2026-810-01905 | 1710 Broadway sign permits and BSA applications | Closed — no records found |
| FOIL-2026-810-01954 | OAC registration, billing, DOB communications with sign operators | Closed — partial production |
| FOIL-2026-810-01965 | Broadway-facing sign at 230 W 54th | Closed — appeal granted, produced |
| FOIL-2026-810-02541 | Internal DOB communications re 230 W 54th sign | Open — awaiting search |
| FOIL-2026-810-02542 | PW1 plan content — three filings (Mar 2016, Jan 2017, Mar 2017) | Closed — satisfied via in-person pickup |
| FOIL-2026-810-02752 | Certificate of Correction text for three 2017 violations | Closed — appeal denied |
| FOIL-2026-810-03731 | Plan Examiner Objection Sheets for Job 122707400 | Closed — partial; appeal filed July 19 |
| FOIL-2026-810-03848 | Brightness reduction arrangement for the sign | Open — awaiting response |
Key Source Documents
Every document below is a record produced by the Department of Buildings, most under the Freedom of Information Law.
- October 14, 2017 — The three summonses. The original OATH summonses for the three Class 1 violations, each with the remedy written in the inspector’s own hand: Remove illegal sign. 35295204K 35295205M 35295206Y
- June 11, 2019 — Rosenthal letter to DOB Commissioner. Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal’s letter identifying that DOB was applying the wrong statute to this sign. View document
- November 2019 — DOB internal email chain (redacted). The produced email chain showing DOB drafted a written response and chose a phone call in lieu of sending it. Redacted by DOB under §87(2)(g). View document
- March 7, 2018 — Certificate of Correction disapproval, 35295204K. AEU disapproval letter requiring “anchors must be removed” as a condition of correction. View document
- March 7, 2018 — Certificate of Correction disapproval, 35295206Y. AEU disapproval letter, same signatory, same remedy. View document
- March 10, 2020 — Sign Inspection Checklist. Inspector’s field checklist recording the sign flashing and missing its required decals. View document
- March 24, 2016 — Plan Examiner Objection Sheet. The first examination objection sheet for Job #122707400, listing seven objections. View document
How to Help
If you live in a building with a current, direct view of this sign and it affects your home, we want to hear from you. Anyone can file a 311 complaint about the sign, or join the Association.
Reporters: every document on this page is a record produced by the Department of Buildings, and we will provide the complete production set on request.
Contact: jacobnyc54@gmail.com | (212) 518-3162
Page last updated July 19, 2026.