In October 2017 the Department of Buildings issued three violations ordering the LED billboard on the Ameritania Hotel at 230 West 54th Street removed. Nearly nine years later the sign is still running: 793 square feet of LED advertising facing roughly 180 apartments that have a direct view of it.
Where things stand, September 2026.
DOB ordered this sign removed in 2017. It has never enforced that order. Council Member Gale Brewer’s office pressed DOB for answers about the sign. The Commissioner’s August 27 reply discusses only the sign’s size and height. It never addresses the light the sign casts into apartments, the problem ZR 32-64 exists to govern. The West 50s Neighborhood Association has taken DOB to court over records it continues to withhold, and that case, Index No. 100805/2026 in New York County Supreme Court, goes before a judge on October 14. The newest record came from DOB itself. In an email exchange produced this month under a Freedom of Information Law appeal, the Director of DOB’s Sign/Padlock Unit wrote that the sign was “still very bright” after 10:00 PM. The exchange sets no standard and binds no one. Each claim in the list below links to the DOB record behind it.
Press contact: Jacob van Winkle, Treasurer, W50s Neighborhood Association, jacobnyc54@gmail.com, 212-518-3162. The complete DOB production set is available to reporters on request. Neighbors with a direct view of the sign: how to help.
On this page: What DOB’s own records show · The record, 2016 to 2026 · Articles · The Association’s case · How the records were obtained · How to help.
What DOB’s Own Records Show
Seven facts, in date order. Each links to the record itself.
- On October 14, 2017 DOB issued three Class 1 violations for the sign. On each summons the inspector wrote the remedy by hand: Remove illegal sign. Summonses 35295204K, 35295205M and 35295206Y.
- On March 7, 2018 DOB’s Administrative Enforcement Unit disapproved certificates of correction for two of the violations, writing that the anchors must be removed. Disapproval letters for 35295204K and 35295206Y.
- On June 11, 2019 Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal wrote to the DOB Commissioner that DOB was applying the wrong statute to the sign. DOB drafted a written response and decided on a phone call in lieu of sending it. Rosenthal letter, June 11, 2019. DOB internal email chain, November 2019.
- On March 10, 2020 a DOB inspector’s field checklist recorded the sign flashing and missing its required decals. Sign Inspection Checklist, March 10, 2020.
- On May 6, 2024 DOB issued an Intent to Revoke for a sign application at 230 West 54th Street, following a Special Enforcement Team audit of May 1, 2024 that quotes ZR 32-64, the provision protecting residences from sign illumination, and describes the premises as a hotel defined as a multiple dwelling. DOB Intent to Revoke with the SET audit, May 2024.
- In an email exchange with the sign’s operator between May 14 and May 27, 2026, the Director of DOB’s Sign/Padlock Unit wrote that the sign was “still very bright” after 10:00 PM, that its flashing was “just a paperwork issue,” and that “No one responded to the intent to revoke letters.” The exchange sets no standard, carries no signature, and provides no enforcement mechanism. DOB produced it on September 2, 2026 under FOIL appeal. DOB email exchange on sign brightness, May 2026.
- On August 27, 2026 Commissioner Ahmed Tigani replied in writing to Council Member Gale Brewer’s May 11, 2026 letter. The reply analyzes sign size and height provisions and does not address ZR 32-64 or illumination. Brewer letter, May 11, 2026. Tigani response, August 27, 2026.
The Record, 2016 to 2026
Every record on this page, at the date it was created. DOB records were produced under the Freedom of Information Law unless noted. The document name in each entry links to the full document.
2016 to 2020. The permit, the violations, and the response
March 2016. Sign permit application filed for Job 122707400. On March 24 the plan examiner lists seven objections. Plan Examiner Objection Sheet, March 24, 2016.
March 2017. DOB approves the permit 48 hours after its second disapproval.
October 14, 2017. DOB issues three Class 1 violations, each with the inspector’s handwritten remedy, Remove illegal sign. Summonses 35295204K, 35295205M, 35295206Y.
March 7, 2018. DOB’s Administrative Enforcement Unit disapproves certificates of correction for two violations, writing that the anchors must be removed. Disapproval letters, 35295204K and 35295206Y.
June 11, 2019. Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal writes to the DOB Commissioner that DOB is applying the wrong statute to the sign. Rosenthal letter to DOB Commissioner.
November 2019. DOB staff draft a written response to the Assembly Member and decide on a phone call in lieu of sending it. DOB withholds the draft under Public Officers Law section 87, subdivision 2, paragraph g. DOB internal email chain, redacted.
March 10, 2020. A DOB inspector’s field checklist records the sign flashing and missing its required decals. Sign Inspection Checklist.
2024. One DOB record from the gap
May 6, 2024. DOB issues an Intent to Revoke for a sign application at 230 West 54th Street, following a Special Enforcement Team audit of May 1, 2024 that quotes ZR 32-64, the provision protecting residences from sign illumination, and describes the premises as a hotel defined as a multiple dwelling. DOB Intent to Revoke with the SET audit, May 2024.
2026. The campaign and DOB’s response
April 2026. The Association sends its Evidence Package to fourteen elected offices and files its first Freedom of Information Law requests. Evidence Package, April 2026.
May 11, 2026. Council Member Gale Brewer writes to Commissioner Ahmed Tigani asking DOB to enforce the documented violations. Council Member Brewer’s letter to DOB.
May 14 to 27, 2026. The Director of DOB’s Sign/Padlock Unit and the sign’s operator exchange emails about the sign’s brightness. DOB produces the exchange on September 2, 2026. DOB email exchange on sign brightness.
May 15, 2026. On appeal, DOB produces the 2019 Rosenthal letter and its internal email chain and continues to withhold the draft written response.
June 2026. Community Board 5 is told of an informal brightness arrangement between DOB and the sign’s operator.
August 6, 2026. The Association files an Article 78 proceeding in New York County Supreme Court, Index No. 100805/2026, to compel DOB to produce withheld records. The New York City Sheriff serves DOB and the City of New York on August 11. The stamped Request for Judicial Intervention is accepted for filing August 26. The return date is October 14, 2026. Notice of petition, verified petition, and exhibits as filed. Sheriff’s certificates of service.
August 19, 2026. The Association presents the record to Community Board 5’s Land Use, Housing and Zoning Committee. The committee moves to send DOB a formal letter about the sign; the letter goes to the full board on September 10. Exhibit binder.
August 27, 2026. Commissioner Tigani replies in writing to Council Member Brewer. The reply analyzes sign size and height provisions and does not address ZR 32-64 or illumination. Commissioner Tigani’s response to Council Member Brewer.
September 2, 2026. On a FOIL appeal, DOB produces the May 2026 email exchange on the sign’s brightness. DOB email exchange on sign brightness.
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.
- Still Very Bright. September 6, 2026. The written record behind the brightness arrangement, produced by DOB after a records appeal, in DOB’s own words.
The Association’s Case
What the Association has written, arguing from the records above. Each document name links to the PDF.
- Standing One-Pager, May 6, 2026. The campaign on one page.
- 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. Section 3 is superseded on two points by the appeal grants of May 15 and June 15, 2026, listed under How the Records Were Obtained. The document is preserved exactly as distributed.
- 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.
- Exhibit Binder, A through M, August 2026. Thirteen exhibits, each behind a lettered cover page, as compiled for Community Board 5’s Land Use, Housing and Zoning Committee, with a one-page index.
How the Records Were Obtained
The West 50s Neighborhood Association has been filing Freedom of Information Law requests with DOB since April 2026. Every DOB record on this page came from those requests or from appeals of DOB’s denials. The principal requests concerning this sign are listed below. All request numbers begin FOIL-2026-810.
DOB’s withheld records are the subject of an Article 78 proceeding in New York County Supreme Court, Index No. 100805/2026, filed in August 2026 and served on DOB and the City of New York by the New York City Sheriff on August 11. The return date is October 14, 2026. Notice of petition, verified petition, and exhibits as filed. Sheriff’s certificates of service.
Status of the FOIL requests, as of September 2026
| Request | Status |
|---|---|
| 01904 Sign permits, inspection reports, violations, legislative correspondence. | Appeal granted in part, May 15, 2026. Produced the June 11, 2019 Rosenthal letter and DOB’s internal 2019 email chain. DOB withholds the draft written response under Public Officers Law section 87, subdivision 2, paragraph g. |
| 01954 Outdoor advertising company registration, billing, and DOB communications with sign operators. | Produced in part. |
| 01965 Sign permit history for 230 West 54th Street. | Appeal granted June 15, 2026. Produced a 1971 sign permit and a 77-image microfilm archive of the address’s sign history. |
| 02541 Internal DOB communications about the sign. | Appeal determined September 2, 2026. Produced the May 2026 brightness email exchange. |
| 02542 Plan content for the three permit filings of March 2016, January 2017 and March 2017. | Produced. Collected in person. |
| 02752 Certificate of Correction text for the three 2017 violations. | Denied. Appeal denied. |
| 03731 Plan Examiner Objection Sheets for Job 122707400. | Produced in part. Appeal filed July 19, 2026. |
| 03848 The brightness arrangement for the sign. | Granted in full August 4, 2026. Appeal filed September 2, 2026 after DOB’s later production showed further responsive records. Determination due mid-September. |
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 DOB record on this page is linked in full, and we will provide the complete production set on request.
Contact: Jacob van Winkle, Treasurer, jacobnyc54@gmail.com, 212-518-3162.