NY1
03/02/2010 08:49 PM
Deutsche Bank Deconstruction Back On Track
The agency in charge of bringing down the former Deutsche Bank Building says the project is now on target, three years after the 41 story structure was supposed to be gone. NY1's Rebecca Spitz filed the following report.
The shell that was once the Deutsche Bank building has stood for almost a decade as another awful reminder of the September 11th attacks, when it was riddled with toxic debris from the Twin Towers and human remains. It is half its original height now, whittled away by crews currently working on the 19th, 20th and 21st floors.
"There's always work going on three or four floors below with scaffolding being put around the building and protective work being put around the building. But if you would look at it, you'd see most of the workers standing on the 20th floor now," said Lower Manhattan Development Corporation President David Emil.
Work to take the building down was suspended following the fatal fire in 2007 in which two of New York's Bravest were killed. It also had to wait for contaminants that had peppered the building to be removed. That work was finished last fall, leaving just concrete and steel that is being painstakingly dismantled.
The LMDC says about six stories have come down since demolition resumed in November.
"It has to be done carefully, demolition is super dangerous. What we're trying to do is avoid any other serious accidents," Emil said.
The LMDC made a point of clarifying that it isn't smashing the building down, rather taking it apart carefully. But with 350 pieces of steel per floor, the process could last awhile.
The deconstruction cost is estimated to be close to $300 million, with about a third being offset by an insurance settlement from some of Deutsche Bank's former insurance companies.
"It's good to see there's progress being made. A lot of time we may not realize the complications -- it's not a simple job," said City Councilwoman Margaret Chin.
The LMDC says it's on pace to deconstruct two floors per month, meaning the building would be completely dismantled by the end of 2010.
"We have a lot of skepticism because dates have been missed before," said Community Board 1 President Julie Menin.
The LMDC says as far as it knows, no building in an American urban center has ever been taken down this way.
As the weather improves and days get longer, they also say they may extend work hours to allow for extra organizing and cleanup which should help them get to the finish line on time.
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