The prohibition was aimed at Mr. Macklowe, who had authorized illegal demolition of buildings on West 44th Street.

Mr. Koch publicly excoriated Mr. Macklowe at the time of the illegal demolitions.

And Mr. Macklowe's contractor was convicted for the illegal demolition but, unfortunately, there was insufficient evidence for a grand jury to indict him personally.

The organization encourages people in the city to monitor properties for illegal demolition and highlights the different ploys used by developers to try and tear down these buildings.

Police arrived on the scene within a half-hour and stopped the illegal demolition, according to Reitman.

The four-year ban on construction applied even to illegal demolitions, like the one on West 44th Street, that occurred before the law's effective date.

The city subsequently pressed the State Legislature, unsuccessfully, for tougher penalties against illegal demolition.

The target of the provision was Mr. Macklowe, the developer who ordered the illegal demolition of buildings on West 44th Street in 1985.

Mr. Macklowe's site was subject to the four-year ban because it applied even to illegal demolitions that occurred before the law's effective date.

Opponents said it was an illegal demolition that released asbestos into the air.