303 East 51st Street
Encyclopedia
303 East 51st Street is a skyscraper
currently on-hold status in the Turtle Bay
neighborhood in New York
, New York. The residential building is planned to rise 504 ft (154 m) with 44 floors. The building was under construction when on Saturday, March 15, 2008, the luffing-jib tower crane, owned by New York Crane & Equipment
, used to construct the skyscraper snapped off and fell
, killing seven people in what Mayor Michael Bloomberg
called the worst construction accident in New York City in recent history.
, the developer decided to scale up the building slightly to 44 stories for 117 residential units and 504 ft (154 m) tall. The exterior of the skyscraper will be clad in silverly glass and there will be many angled balconies extending out from the building.
Even before the crane accident in March, the New York Department of Buildings issued 13 safety violations for construction site and contractor, with two of those citations being serious. The Department and Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
said the infractions were normal for a project of this scale, much to the ire of local residents. Many residents reported that they were concerned over the crane's stability months before the collapse and others complained about how the crane used in the project was a menace to the neighborhood. There was even a report on March 4th that said the crane was structurally detached from the building, although that claim was discredited later in an arrest.
$50 nylon straps holding the collar in place snapped, causing the collar to fall. The heavy piece of steel slammed on top of another collar on the 9th floor, breaking the struts that tied that collar and the crane to the building. The crane became structurally unstable with its 40 ton counterweight
s and fell to the south as both collars, now free of their braces that held them in place, pancaked on top of the collar on the 3rd floor. The vertical tower support for the crane fell against an adjacent 19 story building, 300 East 51st Street. The impact snapped the tower support, leaving one part of the tower leaning against the building, while the rest of the crane continued to fall. Several sections of the tower support crushed a brownstone
at 305 East 50th Street and its restaurant Fubar. The crane cab and boom damaged several other adjacent structures as they landed with a thundering collision. The collapse also flung a heavy steel beam about a football field (90 m), which lodged itself into a townhouse. In all, seven people died, including six workers and 24 people were injured.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
currently on-hold status in the Turtle Bay
Turtle Bay, Manhattan
Turtle Bay is a neighborhood in New York City, on the east side of Midtown Manhattan. It extends between 41st and 54th Streets, and eastward from Lexington Avenue to the East River, across from Roosevelt Island...
neighborhood in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York. The residential building is planned to rise 504 ft (154 m) with 44 floors. The building was under construction when on Saturday, March 15, 2008, the luffing-jib tower crane, owned by New York Crane & Equipment
New York Crane & Equipment
New York Crane & Equipment Corporation owns and operates construction cranes in the New York area. It is based at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.- March 2008 crane collapse :...
, used to construct the skyscraper snapped off and fell
March 2008 Manhattan construction crane collapse
On March 15, 2008, a crane owned by New York Crane & Equipment collapsed at 303 East 51st Street on 51st Street in Manhattan, New York, United States. Seven people were killed and 24 others were injured. It was a luffing-jib tower crane manufactured by Favco that was 200 feet tall at the time of...
, killing seven people in what Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
called the worst construction accident in New York City in recent history.
History
The original design for the skyscraper was a 40-story building that stood 470 feet (143.3 m) tall. On December 19, 2007, during the building's constructionConstruction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, the developer decided to scale up the building slightly to 44 stories for 117 residential units and 504 ft (154 m) tall. The exterior of the skyscraper will be clad in silverly glass and there will be many angled balconies extending out from the building.
Even before the crane accident in March, the New York Department of Buildings issued 13 safety violations for construction site and contractor, with two of those citations being serious. The Department and Mayor
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
said the infractions were normal for a project of this scale, much to the ire of local residents. Many residents reported that they were concerned over the crane's stability months before the collapse and others complained about how the crane used in the project was a menace to the neighborhood. There was even a report on March 4th that said the crane was structurally detached from the building, although that claim was discredited later in an arrest.
Crane collapse
On the day of the collapse, Saturday, March 15, 2008, the skyscraper was at level 18 and the workers prepared the tower crane, at about 20 stories tall, for a jump, or a crane lift. At 2:22 pm, as workers tied a 12000 lb (5,443.1 kg) steel collar to the top floor, designed to structurally attach the crane to the building, the temporary USDUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$50 nylon straps holding the collar in place snapped, causing the collar to fall. The heavy piece of steel slammed on top of another collar on the 9th floor, breaking the struts that tied that collar and the crane to the building. The crane became structurally unstable with its 40 ton counterweight
Counterweight
A counterweight is an equivalent counterbalancing weight that balances a load.-Uses:A counterweight is often used in traction lifts , cranes and funfair rides...
s and fell to the south as both collars, now free of their braces that held them in place, pancaked on top of the collar on the 3rd floor. The vertical tower support for the crane fell against an adjacent 19 story building, 300 East 51st Street. The impact snapped the tower support, leaving one part of the tower leaning against the building, while the rest of the crane continued to fall. Several sections of the tower support crushed a brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
at 305 East 50th Street and its restaurant Fubar. The crane cab and boom damaged several other adjacent structures as they landed with a thundering collision. The collapse also flung a heavy steel beam about a football field (90 m), which lodged itself into a townhouse. In all, seven people died, including six workers and 24 people were injured.
External links
- News of the crane collapse on YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Slideshow of the collapse scene