303 East 51st Street

The skeletal remains of the unfinished apartment building at 303 East 51st Street. Construction was halted after a fatal crane collapse on March 15, 2008.
303 East 51st Street
General information
Status Under Construction[1]
Type Residential[2]
Coordinates 40°45′20″N 73°58′03″W / 40.75547°N 73.96758°W / 40.75547; -73.96758Coordinates: 40°45′20″N 73°58′03″W / 40.75547°N 73.96758°W / 40.75547; -73.96758
Construction started 2007[2]
Cost US$ 70 million[3]
Height
Antenna spire 504 feet (154 m)[1]
Technical details
Floor count 44[1]
Floor area 141,100 sq ft (13,100 m2)[2]
Design and construction
Architect Garrett Gourlay Architect[2]
Developer Kennelly Development Company[2]

303 East 51st Street is a skyscraper currently under construction as the Halcyon Condos in the Turtle Bay neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The residential building is planned to rise 504 ft (154 m) with 44 floors.[1]

The building was under construction when, on March 15, 2008, the luffing-jib tower crane used to construct the skyscraper snapped off and fell, killing seven people in what Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the worst construction accident in New York City in recent history.[3]

History

The original design for the skyscraper was a 40-story building that stood 470 feet (143.3 m) tall.[2] On December 19, 2007, during the building's construction, the developer decided to scale up the building slightly to 44 stories for 117 residential units and 504 ft (154 m) tall. The exterior of the skyscraper will be clad in silverly glass and there will be many angled balconies extending out from the building.[1][4]

Even before the crane accident in March, the New York City Department of Buildings issued 13 safety violations for construction site and contractor, with two of those citations being serious. The Department and Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the infractions were normal for a project of this scale, much to the ire of local residents.[3][5] There was a report on March 4 that said the crane was structurally detached from the building, although that claim was discredited later in an arrest.[3][6]

Crane collapse

On March 15, 2008, a crane owned by New York Crane & Equipment collapsed during construction. Seven people were killed and 24 others were injured.[7] It was a luffing-jib tower crane manufactured by Favco that was 200 feet tall at the time of the collapse. The accident occurred when workers were attaching a new steel collar to anchor it to the building at the 18th floor, as part of an operation to extend the crane upwards.[8] Investigators say the prime suspect is a $50 piece of nylon that broke while lifting a six-ton piece of steel.[9]

The owner of Crave Ceviche Bar sued the owner of his building on 2nd Avenue because of their plans to demolish the building due to damage from the crane. The building owner claimed that the damage was irreparable and must be demolished in order to rebuild. There was a legal settlement of over $1 million, allowing the owner to continue business by giving him the chance to open in a different location.[10]

Deaths

References

External links

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