Oh no. What a shame. FiDi is struggling enough as it is. The Seaport area and waterfront is one bright spot, but this blight in the middle of it doesn’t help.
The “leaning” tower of Pizzarotti. That contractor has done a lot work on this project, so there will be a lot of financial issue to sort out in this case.
A lot of trade contractors have done plenty of work on that job; and they have not been paid.
In order to collect the money they will need to - put a “mechanics LIEN” on the property. ![]()
Right. The litigation will be messy, multi-party, expensive, and time consuming. The possibility of it ending in a number of bankruptcies seems high to me. All in all a terrible picture right now.
There should be laws about putting foundations into bedrock.
Quote “There should be laws about putting foundations into bedrock”.
I took a ‘deep look’ into that issue: no pun intended. I also, liked the “Lien” and “Lean” pun… ![]()
The details of that foundation are interesting; your suggestion that ‘all’ foundations for this type structure must be a ‘pile drive’ into the ‘bed rock’ of Manhattan Island shows a good insight into the issue.
My concern is the legal proceedings will be void of any ‘in-depth’ (pun) understanding of the tectonic structural, and engineering issues that are the foundation (pun) of this litigation.
Our legal system in America (IMHO) is in shambles in general; and even more so in NYC in particular. There will be much money made by the lawyers in a protracted legal battle: but little ‘truth’ discovered. I am particularly down on our legal system lately for two reason: One, just completed jury duty (what a snake pit) for the 4th time and Two, finishing a great book titled “licensed to lie” by Sidney Powell.
Sorry to go off on a tangent with your very accurate and pithy remark…
Understandable considering what you have just been through.
Thank you: feeling better now.
I believe the dialectic model of litigation; the process of ‘adversarial argumentation’ is deeply flawed. I will not - and should not - go into the subject here in this forum. The best way to expand on this point is to refer you, and ll interested parties, to this scholarly paper.
Thanks for the kind response. ![]()
Licensed to Lie, huh? I would have figured a book of that title would be about Ms. Powell, rather than written by her! But then again, there is that old adage: write what you know. ![]()
Why can’t they glass the exterior up and call it a day?
There is a ton of litigation about this building. Loans have been called. No one is going to invest is this project right now. It is going to be a hulk for quite a while. And I haven’t seen anything engineering related lately about whether it can be rescued, even by someone interested in trying.
I think you are asking what is keeping the builders from cladding this concrete super structure in glass - because it does look ready to go to that final phase. There is too much of a lean on the concrete superstructure, so not contractor would take on that type of risk.
The problem is that a curtain wall is made of rigid, rectilinear panels: the superstructure needs to be plumb, rigid and perfectly level. The tilt in that building as it is now will present a variety structural & dimensional complications in any attempt to clad that facade with glass panels.
It is a bit like trying to put a stiff, rigid and straight suit on one of these “tube man” advertising banners we see on the roadsides sometimes… ![]()
This entire section of the glass curtain wall - mentioned in the YIMBY article - was installed, and then later taken down for the very reason I have stated above: structural, and dimensional complications.
This should be listed as on hold.
This thread will be quite interesting going forward. The legal & structural ramifications are fascinating for some some readers who want to engage in these peripheral matters - similar to what happened with the thread on 200 Amsterdam Avenue.
One particular matter that remains to be determined is in regard to the choice of foundation construction: “soil improvement/firming” or pile driving into the Manhattan bedrock below.
The “soil improvement” method used may turn out to be a perfectly acceptable foundation method for that ‘soggy site’ - these matters are yet to be conclusively determined.
I understand this type of subject matter will go beyond the interest and/or understanding of most readers, but there are plenty here interested in this story.
So, no - this thread should not be put on HOLD.
I think they just meant the title should be updated to reflect that the building is on hold as opposed to under construction. I agree the legal and engineering complications make this thread more fascinating than most.
You have completely misunderstood what they were talking about
I am glad to hear that - the 200 Amsterdam thread was great. This one will be even more interesting with both the legal and engineering issues.
I learned two thinks today about the YIMBY forum: how to delete a post, and what “hold” means.
Best forum on the internet…
PS… I think it will be determined that the “soil improvement” method for the foundation is flawed - and the entire building will need to be demolished. (stay tuned to find out)
Infoshare–The longer this goes on, the more likely a tear down appears to be, at least IMO. I can’t see how anyone can guarantee that the tilting won’t resume at some point in the future. In addition to the weight of the existing structure, I’m thinking there always is the chance of water table shifts that might put a foundation like this one at additional risk. I’d like to hear from a soil/engineer on that water issue; I’m speaking off the top of my head.
Yes on all points. I read today that one ‘expert’ said that the added weight of the curtain wall will cause even more tilting. It was also stated that various others factors will come into play - like windows popping out due, and elevators that fail due to the shafts not being completely straight up/down.
There are so many safety issues, this looks like a complete tear down is eminent.
I will wait to see what the legal, and engineering experts have to say. This will be one to watch. ![]()

