Results tagged “libertystreet”

Yesterday, Deutsche Bank and the Parks Department unveiled a 9/11 memorial fountain on Wall Street. Four Deutsche employees died on September 11, 2001, and the CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas Seth Waugh said, “Wall Street is Deutsche Bank’s home in the Americas, and this fountain will be a beautiful focal-point for the neighborhood as well as a reminder of the family, friends, neighbors and colleagues we lost on 9/11." Deutsche Bank security guard Francisco...

Yet another depressing fact revealed about the Deutsche Bank demolition in the wake of two firefighters' deaths. The NY Times reports that contractors had created an emergency exit plan through sealed stairwells, but the firefighters didn't know about the plan. Fire department spokesman Francis X. Gribbon told the Times, “The Fire Department was not involved in creating this plan, specifically — and most importantly — with regard to the sealed staircases. We were not notified about it. We were not consulted about it.”

Just five days after the Deutsche Bank building fire, two firefighters investigating the site at 130 Liberty Street were injured when a 300-pound piece of construction equipment fell from the 23rd floor. It turned out that a construction worker had lost control of a forklift; luckily a work shed broke the object's fall.

Two weeks ago today, a 7-alarm fire at 130 Liberty Street, at the under-demolition Deutsche Bank building, claimed the lives of two firefighters, Robert Beddia, a 24-year FDNY veteran, and Joseph Graffagnino, an 8-year vet. In the wake of the tragedy, investigations revealed that though smoking by construction workers probably caused the fire, there were a series of failures on the part of the contractor and FDNY, as well as state and city agencies. Graffagnino's widow Linda angrily lashed out at the city in comments to the Post and Daily News:

With the city, it's really all about money; it's not about human life. Now who is paying the price? Me, my in-laws and my children. The firefighters, they're the good guys, and it's the city's responsibility to protect them...

Continue reading "Firefighter's Widow Speaks Out Against City"

It's been just about two weeks since the 7-alarm fire at the Deutsche Bank building, and the city and state are still trying to figure out how to proceed with the WTC-dust contaminated building's dismantling. The Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation asking for the building to be sealed up "to protect public health and the environment." It was only when the EPA had given its approval for a deconstruction plan last September that the officials were able to develop a timeline for the building's dismantling. The LMDC, which has been presenting a "new, less restrictive plan" for demolition, only said that the plan will "assess and address all potential risks to those who live and work near the building, first responders and others."

Yesterday evening, Bovis Lend Lease, the contractor charged with dismantling the WTC-dust contaminated Deutsche Bank building, faced an angry group of residents and lawmakers during a crowded community meeting. The seven-alarm fire on August 18, which claimed the lives of two firefighters, was likely started by construction workers smoking, which is against the rules in the highly flammable environment. Investigation after the fire found that the demolition site was essentially a "deathtrap," with a standpipe, the use of flammable materials, and blocked passage.

Yesterday, the city announced that cigarette smoking by construction workers most likely caused the seven-alarm fire at the under-demolition Deutsche Bank building that claimed the lives of two firefighters on August 18. FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said, "Smoking was engaged in throughout the building, and particularly on the 17th floor, where the fire originated."

Will it never end? Firefighters were injured this afternoon at the Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty Street. NY1 reports that two firefighters were "walking underneath the scaffolding" when something fell. Crews had been "doing remedial work on the building" after Saturday's fire, such as repairing scaffolding and removing debris.

The FDNY did not inspect the Deutsche Bank building every 15 days, "as required by city rules for buildings being demolished" (NY Times). This revelation, coupled with the fact that the FDNY did not have a plan to go into the burning building, prompts the Post to demand that Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta leave his post.

The Daily News has FDNY audio and transcripts from the 7-alarm fire at the Deutsche Bank building. The tapes are harrowing: One firefighter yells, "Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Engine 24 standing by! I'm lost. I'm trying to make it on the charged hose line. Running out of air!" came a frantic call." Another says, "All the staircases, all the landings are plywooded up. ... It would take us a week to get through and check each one." And then a higher-ranking official says, "I want a roll call! ... I don't give a s--t about the building. I give a s--t about the guys!"

Critics of the Deutsche Bank demolition probably never quite anticipated this: A 15 foot steel pipe being dismantled from the building fell from the 35th floor and into the neighboring firehouse.

In yet another sign that the state and city government want big business at the redeveloping area near the World Trade Center, the NY Times reports that JPMorgan Chase is "in negotiations...to build a 1.3 million-square foot skyscraper." And not only would thousands of employees move from Midtown (277 Park Ave.; the bank would keep 270 Park), the skyscraper would be at 130 Liberty St. - where the toxic Deutsche Building is being dismantled.

Chase wants a hefty incentive package, or subsidy, to build the 50-story tower on the site of the Deutsche Bank building, the officials said. The building would have to cantilever over a planned park along Liberty Street to accommodate large trading floors, and that could stir community opposition.

Continue reading "JP Morgan Chase May Head Near Ground Zero"

Dear Santa,

The Deutsche Bank at 130 Liberty Street will start to be dismantled today. The 41 floor building's demolition strategy was approved in September, after many years of planning, toxin finding, and searching for human remains (the World Trade Center's south tower fell into the building). The Department of Buildings signed off on the permits this week, but the permits are only to remove the facade. The AP reports, "On Friday, workers will begin removing the glass windows and metal column covers that make up the facade of the building's top four floors. After that, the steel and concrete skeleton of those floors will come down."

Stop by The Greene Grape and learn how to make this toasty winter warmer from the authors of DRINKOLOGY EATS: A Guide to Bar Food and Cocktail Party Fare. Using a recipe from their new book, James Waller and Ramona Ponce will share their expertise in making this festive drink, and they will be happy to sign a copy of any of their DRINKOLOGY books as well. Friday, December 1st from 5-7pm at 55 Liberty Street in Manhattan; Saturday, December 2nd from 4:30-6:30pm 765 Fulton Street in Brooklyn. Free.

After over 200 hundred bone fragments have been found in recent searches for remains at the World Trade Center site, Mayor Bloomberg is expanding the search considerably. Here's the Mayor's press release about a report from the Despartment of Design and Construction:

Although the report finds that the vast majority of the site had been thoroughly searched and is free of human remains, it recommends the continued excavations on the haul road where remains have been recovered (the haul road runs parallel to West Street, from Vesey to Liberty Streets, along the western edge of the World Trade Center site); the exploratory excavation of the 140 Liberty Street parcel, the former site of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church; the searching of selected subterranean structures in neighboring streets, such as Con Edison, Verizon, and DEP manholes (at the Mayor's request, these searches will exceed the report's recommendations because all the material from these locations will be removed and sifted by OCME); and the development of protocols for future construction on the site which would include having the City's Medical Examiner on site to observe all future construction in areas that have not been excavated since 9/11. This work will continue to be coordinated with the Port Authority and no construction delays are anticipated as a result.

Continue reading "New Search for WTC Remains Planned"

the Department of Buildings tells the NY Times, "Right now there are no plans filed for the deconstruction. The intent is that the work will be done in phases and that we will not give a permit until we get clearance from the E.P.A. that the abatement on each floor has been completed.” Another issue the NY Times brings up: The lack of public discussion about what will happen with the demolition.

The Fire Department unveiled its memorial to the firefighters who "fell" and "who carry on" yesterday afternoon. The 56-foot long bas-relief is on the side of Engine Company 10 and Ladder Company 10 at 124 LIberty Street. The NY Times described it as a "full panorama, centered on the flaming towers, with heroic and humbled firefighters on either side." Almost immediately after the unveiling, family members were rubbing paper against the memorial's names. Fire Chief Peter Hayden made this pointed remark about the memorial: "We've had empty promises from empty suits, but the Fire Department has fulfilled its promise."

Ah, there is nothing like a seemingly unhinged would-be terrorist taking the stand in his own death penalty trial. Zacarias Moussaoui testified during the sentencing part of his trial, and, like his first trip to the witness stand where he "confessed" to being one of hijackers planning the September 11 attacks, he gave plenty for the prosecution to savor. Like saying how happy he was that people died on September 11, mentioning that he would kill Americans as soon as possible, complaining that his defense lawyer is American and Jewish, criticizing the victims' families' testimony and saying that President Bush would pardon him. For example: "I just wish it had happened on [Sept.] 12th, the 13th, the 14th, the 15th, the 16th and the 17th. We have to destroy you." We can't tell who Moussaoui is trying to work with more - the prosecution or defense, because even though he hates his defense team, he's making a compelling case for mental illness.

While the goverment tries to dole out punishment to someone who may or may not have had anything to do with the September 11 attacks in Virginia, it turns out at that demolitions workers found bone fragments on the roof of 130 Liberty Street - aka the Deutsche Bank building. According to the medical examiner's office, there were 74 human remains samples, and the ME's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove told the NY Times, "This is the largest find from the Deutsche Bank, and I would not be surprised if additional quantities of remains are found there. They are still doing the cleanup." Which concerns some victims' families, who are worried that some workers won't know what to preserve while doing clean-up. The Deutsche Bank is in the middle of being carefully deconstructed, with the LMDC hoping all the work will be done by next spring.

Governor Pataki, you can kiss your April "Freedom Tower" groundbreaking goodbye: Talks between World Trade Center leaseholder, the developer Larry Silverstein, and the Port Authority (WTC owner) went nowhere yesterday, as the deadline to . So enter the namecalling: Tthe PA calling Silverstein greedy and Silverstein saying that the PA "elected to suspend talks." The Times reports that talks "nearly blew up" many times during the waning hours of negotiating time (the deadline was 12:00AM), while the Post explains how the talks went:

The PA and Silverstein spent much of the day negotiating - until both sides took a break at 6 p.m. with an outline on the table that called for the developer to assume control of Towers 2, 3 and 4 on Church Street, officials said.

Continue reading "World Trade Center Talks Hit Dead End"

/>Over the weekend, the Daily News made sure everyone who doesn't live near 130 Liberty Street knows about the Deutsche Bank demolition, with an article titled "Scariest building in New York." Why so scary? Because the building is "filled with a toxic brew of asbestos, lead, cadmium, dioxin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other poisons deposited after the collapse of the twin towers." Do we forget the computer-animated demolition simulation the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. released, because it doesn't show those elements flying into the air? At the bottom of the article, there are explanations of why things like, oh, dioxin (you'll look like Viktor Yuschenko!) are dangerous, but what Gothamist found more helpful is the history of picking a contractor to do the clean-up (why Bovis replaced Gilbane Construction, and why some of Bovis' proposed ideas can't work). But most unsettling might be the fact some people at the LMDC's meetings about the demolition have been shushed (an LMDC spokesman told protesters, "Take your speeches outside!") and that some apartment buildings in the area have tested with higher-than-acceptable levels of asbestos. Deconstruction will take over a year, so Gothamist is sure environmental activists will be monitoring the project like a hawk.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation has posted an animated video of what the deconstruction of the Deutsche Bank at 130 Liberty Street will look like. It won't be demolished; rather, it will be carefully "detoxified and disassembled" because it is still extremely contaminated after September 11, 2001. The video is very cool (once you get past why it has to be deconstructed), showing that scaffolding will go up for crews to clean the building and that columns and windows will be carefully removed. There's even a simulation of the West Side Highway (or is it West Street), with cars speeding by as the building's floors are taken away.

Govenor Pataki and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced plans for interim September 11 memorials. There are two memorials: One at 120 Liberty Street, where construction has already begun on the Tribute Center, which will be a storefront and basement with an information desk and exhibits; the other is a Story Corps oral history booth to be set up at the World Trade Center Path station. Victims' families and other groups are relieved at the announcement, given that the plans for rebuilding the WTC have moved at a snail's pace, mired in bureaucracy, turf wars, and security concerns (check out The New Yorker's Paul Goldberger on Ground Zero development). The memorials will be up until 2009, or whenever the planned permanent memorials are supposed to be completed.