An accomplished Manhattan architect was killed when a slab of falling building facade struck her as she was walking in New York City.
Erica Tishman, 60, had degrees from both Harvard and Princeton and was the vice president of a Manhattan project management company. She was walking on 49th Street near Seventh Avenue at about 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday when debris fell and hit her in the head.
“I saw the FDNY moving trash bags. I saw them pressing on the chest of someone in a black coat. Her head was to the building and her feet [were] towards the street,” a witness told the New York Post.
Records show that the building the facade fell from was cited in April for “failure to maintain exterior building facade and appurtenances.” Inspectors highlighted “damaged terra cotta at areas above 15th floor in several locations which poses a falling hazard for pedestrians.”
Tishman earned a master’s degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. According to her company’s website, Tishman worked as an architect in private practice for over 20 years before joining the firm.
Tishman was an active member at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan, where she served as a trustee.
