Crane Collapses in Manhattan

[Luv2play]

When I saw the news tonight, they carried the story of a construction crane collapsing in mid-town Manhattan. I recognized the pictures immediately as I used to stay at a friend's co-op on 51st between 2nd and 3rd Ave, where the accident happened. This was 25 years ago but I spent a lot of time there and knew the neighbourhood intimately.

 

My friend's apartment was in a red brick 1950's building about 13 stories high (he was on the ninth floor)and he had wonderful views on three sides, south to the Chrysler Building, west to the Citicorp Tower and north, which was the bedroom side and not as interesting. He had doormen and they got used to seeing us drag in at all hours in our bleery eyed state. They got nice tips!

 

At that time Rounds was just around the corner and that was the first time I visited it with another friend. I went back several times by myself later to meet some of the gorgeous guys there.

 

Given the high price of real estate in Manhattan, I am not surprised that these monster condos are being built in this old neighbourhood where there used to be a nice mixture of low and medium rise buildings. It's a shame, IMO, that these huge buildings are replacing the old stuff, which had such a nice human scale. :-(

[Luv2play]

I just looked at the article in the NYTimes on the condo project. It is 46 stories on a 5000 square foot lot!!! Basically two lots for brownstones. Talk about ridiculous urban planning. What sort of corruption is there in the planning process in NYC that would permit this? There is something rotten in the "state of Denmark" and it ain't just the financial system! x(

[Rick Munroe]

It's happening all over the city at an alarmingly fast pace. NYC is morphing into something that will probably be unrecognizable in 10 years... ;(

[+ deej]

>NYC is morphing into something that will probably be unrecognizable in 10 years...

 

As it always has.

 

One of the things I love about NYC is that it is always remaking itself.

 

People lament the loss of the WTC but a friend of mine keeps reminding me that NYC residents HATED the WTC when it first went up. The pendulum swings.

 

Change is as inevitable as death. The only variable is how you deal with it.

[Rick Munroe]

You'd have to live here (and have grown up here) to understand...

[+ deej]

You'd have to have lived elsewhere to understand. ;-)

 

I did live there. I lived through the "cleaning up" of Times Square. I was one of the customers who walked up to Show Palace and was surprised the door was locked the day they closed.

 

(And had a grand old time with one of the former "dancers" who was hoping a former customer would show up, but that's a story for another day.)

 

Times change. So do cities. Or they become Toledo. ;-)

 

(And I know I'll get hate mail for that remark. I'm KIDDING, Toledo! I was there just a few weeks ago! LOVED Giorgio's!)

[Guest zipperzone]

>Given the high price of real estate in Manhattan, I am not

>surprised that these monster condos are being built in this

>old neighbourhood where there used to be a nice mixture of low

>and medium rise buildings. It's a shame, IMO, that these huge

>buildings are replacing the old stuff, which had such a nice

>human scale. :-(

 

One can only imagine the horror of sitting in your nice cosy secure co-op, having a drinkie or two, when all of a sudden a 200 ft crane comes crashing through your apartment. What the hell would you think - "Oh that's just the crane falling"? You'd think it was 9/11 all over again.

 

The lawyers must be salivating over the business coming their way!

[Doe Be Doe]

I heard the sirens on Saturday afternoon and, by the volume of emergency vehicles, I knew something big was happening. Yet it took the local media a rather long time to report what was going on. NY1 finally broke the story. 1010Wins took forever. Maybe all the reporters were off yesterday. It was a nice day.

[JT Brooklyn]

I've worked in that Area for Year's. The Major Construction going on is most definitely NYC going thru another Major Change!

 

I'm surprised something along this line has not happened before. Let us see what happens when the 2nd Ave Subway Construction gets going.

[Luv2play]

Today's NYTimes carries a story of a 20 foot I beam that was catapulted by the falling crane and pierced a townhouse on 50th St. It crashed through the kitchen at 45 degrees and its end rested on the basement floor. No-one was hurt but then it was revealed no-one actually lives there.

 

The house is owned by an Italian designer and from the picture of the kitchen there was not one item in the kitchen to indicate anyone actually resided there beyond the basic furniture such as empty cabinets and bare counters. Basically a house, not a home.

 

This is an interesting view on what Manhattan is becoming. House and apartments owned as investments by foreigners. Obviously just a small slice. But interesting in what it reveals.