Six days after a two-alarm basement blaze closed the Manhattan Criminal Court building at 100 Centre St., attorneys and defendants returned yesterday. After the fire, which was caused by temporary construction lights, arraignments, trials and principal calendar parts were moved to the Civil Courthouse at 111 Centre St.
On Friday, a memo issued by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which manages the building, reported that the courthouse could be reoccupied, based on “favorable environmental test results and the fact that building systems are operational.” The memo also said the sprinkler system, including six heads that were disconnected during the fire, was operational. And except for a faint smell of smoke on the first floor, everything appeared to have returned to normal yesterday at 100 Centre St., where photographers waited outside to catch a glimpse of rapper Lil Wayne, who was sentenced to one year in jail on gun possession charges.
