Look Up: The Crane That Triggered The Evacuation of an Entire NYC Neighborhood

Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc.

Back in October when Hurricane Sandy hit NYC, the construction crane at One57 partially collapsed, triggering an emergency evacuation of the neighborhood. Since then, the dangling boom arm of the crane has been removed and construction has resumed. A lawsuit is now on file with the clerk’s office and it is too early to tell who or what was exactly responsible for the accident. The city claims to have had sent inspectors to ensure the crane was properly secured prior to the storms landfall. Extell, the building’s developers claims no responsibility, and Bovis Lend Lease will likely try to pass their culpability onto the crane company.

Here, we take a closer look at the building behind all the controversy. 

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The Tallest Residential Building in NYC

Size Isn't The Only Thing That Matters

Designed by the famed Pritzker Prize winning architect Christian de Portzamparc, it is the second building by Frenchman in New York City, the first being the Louis Vuitton tower further east on 57th street.

While the LMVH tower received numerous accolades from critics for its refined elegance, and was even stated to be the “best new building in New York” by the late Ada Louise Huxtable, his newer building at 157 West 57th is clearly less inspirational. Designed for international billionaires, the prized clients of Extell’s vast real estate empire, the building seems rather one dimensional, only striving for status by the virtue of height. 

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