303 East 51st Street facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 303 East 51st Street |
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The skeletal remains of the unfinished apartment building at 303 East 51st Street. Construction was halted after a fatal crane collapse on March 15, 2008.
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Residential |
| Coordinates | 40°45′19″N 73°58′03″W / 40.7554°N 73.9675°W |
| Construction started | 2007 |
| Completed | 2015 |
| Cost | US$ 70 million |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 360 feet (110 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 32 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Garrett Gourlay Architect |
| Developer | HFZ Capital Group Kennelly Development Company |
303 East 51st Street is a tall apartment building in the Turtle Bay area of Manhattan, New York City. It stands 360 ft (110 m) tall and has 32 floors.
This building became well-known because of a serious construction accident. On March 15, 2008, a large crane working on the building broke and fell. This sad event caused seven people to lose their lives. The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, called it the worst construction accident in the city's recent history.
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Building's Story
The original plan for this skyscraper was to make it 40 stories tall, reaching about 470 feet (140 m) into the sky. In December 2007, while the building was being constructed, the people in charge decided to make it even bigger. They planned for it to be 44 stories high, with 117 apartments, and about 504 ft (154 m) tall.
However, just a few months later, the crane accident happened. This caused all work on the building to stop for a while. Construction finally finished in 2015. The completed building is now called the Halcyon Building and has 32 floors. Its official address is 305 East 51st Street.
The Crane Accident
On March 15, 2008, a large tower crane used for construction suddenly collapsed. This crane was owned by New York Crane & Equipment. Seven people died, and 24 others were hurt in the accident.
What Caused the Collapse?
The crane was a Favco brand, and it was about 200 feet (61 m) tall when it fell. Workers were trying to attach a new steel collar to the building on the 18th floor. This collar helps to hold the crane steady as it gets taller.
An investigation by OSHA (a safety organization) found that the instructions for lifting this collar were not followed correctly. Only half the number of special straps (called polyester slings) were used. These straps were overloaded and broke. When they broke, the collar fell, and it knocked loose two other collars lower down on the building. This meant the crane no longer had anything holding it up from the sides, so it fell over.
Safety Concerns Before the Accident
Before the crane collapsed, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) had already found 13 safety problems at the construction site. Two of these were considered serious.
After the accident, the DOB and Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that these problems were normal for such a big project. However, many local people were upset by this statement.
There was also a call made to 311 (a city service line) saying that the crane seemed to be coming loose from the building. The DOB scheduled an inspection for March 4, 2008, just over a week before the collapse. A DOB inspector later said they found no safety problems during this inspection. However, it was later found that no inspection actually happened that day. The DOB commissioner said that even if an inspection had happened, it might not have prevented the collapse because the crane was in a different position when it fell.
Aftermath of the Collapse
The crane collapse also damaged a building on 2nd Avenue. The owners of that building wanted to tear it down because of the damage. However, a restaurant owner who rented space in that building, Crave Ceviche Bar, did not want it torn down.
Eventually, the building owner and the restaurant owner reached an agreement. The restaurant owner received over $1 million. This allowed Crave Ceviche Bar to open in a new location and continue its business.
