One57’s Broken Crane Appears Safe But Will Not Be Secured Until After Hurricane Passes
For the past few hours, New Yorker’s eyes have been trained on the skies, or at least their T.V. and computer screens. No, they are not watching out for the eye of the storm but the crane Hurricane Sandy has dislodged from Midtown Manhattan. The boom of the crane attached to the billionaire-beloved One57 snapped back earlier today and has been hanging precariously ever since, but it has yet to break free and the hope is that will be the situation until the storm passes.
At a press briefing this evening, Mayor Bloomberg said all buildings on West 57th Street between 6th and 7th avenues have been evacuated, as well as “exposed buildings” on the same block of West 56th Street. Among the buildings evacuated was a hotel and some apartment and office buildings. “We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but better safe than sorry,” Mayor Bloomberg said.
The accident occurred at 2:35 p.m. today, according to a statement from Lend Lease, the general contractor on the project, the tallest apartment building in the city, at 1,005 feet, and also home to the most expensive sale ever, more than $90 million for the penthouse.
Mayor Bloomberg said the surrounding area had been secured, with steam, electricity and gas all being shut off to prevent any additional damage should the crane’s boom come loose.
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