The rear of the venue faced West 53rd Street and the Ed Sullivan Theater. It was also known as the place American singer Fiona Apple broke down during a concert in 2000.
The venue hosted a wide range of events, from a Hillary Clinton birthday party, to annual gay circuit parties, to movie premieres, to musical performances of all genres, including Beyoncé's Elements of 4 show and internet stars Team StarKid's Apocalyptour National Concert Tour. The venue, according to its website, accommodated 3,200 standing (with an additional 300 upstairs), 2,500 for a dance party, between 1,300 and 1,500 in theatre style, 800–1,000 for a sit-down dinner, and 1,500 for a buffet and dancing. The Roseland Ballroom was a multipurpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theater district, on West 52nd Street in Manhattan. These inspections are expected to be completed by next week. As of June 6, 2013, the Department has inspected approximately 10 percent of these sites.
There are approximately 300 open demolition permits issued by the Department since 2009, approximately 100 of which were issued in 2013. The Department is also undertaking proactive inspections of all active private demolition sites throughout the City. “The Department will continue to be proactive in ensuring the safety of all private construction and demolition sites throughout the City,” Williams said. Citizens living or working near all of these properties can be assured that the Department is closely monitoring these sites. Inspections at two other sites at which Griffin Campbell Construction has obtained a permit did not uncover any violations. The Department issued Stop Work Orders and suspended work at both sites.
The violations at 320 Butler related to work exceeding the scope of the interior demolition permit. The violations at 1300 Walnut related to electrical and plumbing work being performed without proper permits and work not being the same as the work detailed on the building permit. These inspections uncovered building construction violations at two sites, at 1300 Walnut Street and 320 Butler Street. The Department inspected on Jall four construction and demolition sites connected to Griffin Campbell Construction, the demolition contractor at the 2136-38 Market Street site.
“The Department of Licenses and Inspections is committed to building and construction safety and to the safety of all citizens in the City of Philadelphia,” said Licenses and Inspections Commissioner Carlton Williams. To ensure the safety of all citizens of the City of Philadelphia, the Department of Licenses and Inspections has performed proactive inspections of multiple private construction and demolition sites in response to the Jbuilding collapse at 2136-38 Market Street. Update: : This evening, the Mayor’s office sent out the following press release indicating that L&I inspected four Griffin Campbell sites as a result of the 22nd and Market building collapse: She said she’d get back to me as soon as more information becomes available. I called L&I spokesperson Maura Kennedy to find out if L&I has plans to visit all locations with connections to Griffin Campbell Construction. It’s hard to believe that L&I’s visit to Rosewood was coincidental.