By Scott Etkin
A sidewalk shed that has been voted the “Worst on the West Side” is in the process of being removed after nearly 20 years.
Late last week, construction workers dismantled the scaffolding and netting that since 2020 has covered the facade of 51 West 86th Street, a 16-story residential building.
“Everybody is euphoric,” said one longtime tenant about the removal of the scaffolding. “It’s an aesthetic issue and also a safety issue.”
The building’s sidewalk shed, the ground-level structure that dates back to 2006, remains in place, but it appears that its days are numbered. A representative from Weinreb Management, the landlord, confirmed on a phone call with the Rag that the shed was being removed, but did not provide more information.
There are many longstanding sheds on the Upper West Side, though the one at 51 West 86th Street is notable in some ways. In 2022, it was one of the properties included in a lawsuit filed by the City of New York against Weinreb Management for building violations. Among the violations listed was “failing to correct hazardous facade defects.”
The building was in the spotlight again earlier this year, when State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Micah Lasher polled the neighborhood about the most egregious examples of sidewalk sheds. Topping the list was 51 West 86th Street. The elected officials then hosted the “Sheddie Awards,” a tongue-in-cheek ceremony, outside the building to draw attention to the issue.
“We are thrilled for the tenants of this building, many of whom have only ever known their homes to be covered with an ugly eyesore,” Senator Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Lasher said in a statement provided to the Rag.
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The scaffolding required by local law 11 is such a scam perpetuated on NYC residents. There’s something ironic about what was originally put in place as a safety measure becoming a safety risk as the resident quoted in the article says.
It works for the landlords..Cheaper to pay the fines than fix the facades..
Wait. Perhaps I’m missing something because I’m reading with distractions (kids!). But what’s the safety risk from scaffolding? Frankly… a lot of times, scaffolding offers welcome rain shelter.
Rain?..Have you ever heard of an UMBERALLA
Excuse me?..How would you like to live behind scaffolding and black netting an never see the street or sky or daylight?..Apologies accepted..
It mostly seems to be used for pot-smoking these days!
Criminals look for places with obstructed view such as scaffolding. Plus it blocks sidewalk, trip hazards.
Holy, crap I agree with UWS Dad.
OPOD and I agree? Even broken clocks… =)
While removing offensive, long standing scaffolding is a critical step in solving the problem, the root cause needs to be addressed.
What started as a knee jerk reaction to a Barnard student being killed by a falling brick (I’m NOT saying it wasn’t a tragedy), has morphed into a huge business that benefits only the scaffolding, engineering and construction companies that has caused the entire city to be inundated with scaffolding, many of which are up long past their due date.
Fixing the root cause – LL11 on a fixed 5 year cycle – by making a simple change to have the next cycle start AFTER the last LL11 work is done (which, probably, was the original intent of the law … I don’ think the original law makers envisaged that LL11 work would take multiple years) will reduce the scaffolding and attendant costs for buildings significantly.
I’m not a politician, but perhaps someone knows how to get this done?
its in motion
https://cooperatornews.com/article/new-laws-move-nyc-away-from-sidewalk-sheds
YES! How do we help make this happen?
YES YES YES.
Drone based inspections offer an affordable and far less disruptive option to identify facade issues without the need for expensive scaffolding
Inspection is not the problem. Advanced techniques are used already. Other problems always come up once you take out bricks, stones, terracotta.
The critical issue is the law itself has become a burdensome beast and a huge cost for city apartment owners.
If officials want to make NYC affordable as they all want to, changing LL11 will contribute to this vision.
Mazel tov! Now let’s remove the shed on 74th and Columbus!
yes please please. do you know how longs its been there? has to be 5 years.
About 10 years I believe.
YES!
Yes, scaffolding in NYC is a huge scam, and a blight on our city. Efforts to change the laws around this are good, but I doubt they go far enough. There is no reason to check buildings for safety every five years. I believe some are calling for every ten years. I’ll bet more workers die falling from scaffolding than people who are hurt or killed by a falling chunk of stone from a building. Has The New York Times or the city comptroller or public advocate done a big examination into this outrageous scam?
This whole thing is completely unfair to the citizens of NYC. I heard some students at LaGuardia High School went through all four years with scaffolding shrouding the school in dark ugliness. Scaffolding attracts crime, including people shooting up drugs and other illegal activity.
A major overhaul is needed, not just piecemeal solutions.
Facade work on the same block was recently done on two buildings across the street from that address. The sidewalk sheds and scaffolding went up, the work was done in about six months and approved by the city; the sheds and scaffolding came down. Punkt. Done. I know because my terrace was the staging area for the work on one of the buildings. And while it was not fun for the tenants, it was proof that exterior work can be done efficiently. Congratulations to the Rag and to the city officials who shamed the Weinribs into ridding the block of this eyesore. The question remains: was the violation for which they were cited ever fixed?
Every building is wildly different in terms of what is required of them. Brick type, amount of terra cotta, anchorages, etc. This is the insanity of the FISP/LL11 regime. One building can get the work done in six months. Most take at least a year. Some take years.
You’re quite right about different requirements. It also depends on how the owners have maintained the facade as well. But 20 years seems unreasonable. Especially when scaffolds haven’t moved or workers occupied them for most of that time.
This is great news. Can the same magic be applied to the building at the cornier of 74th and columbus avenue??? This has been there forever and frankly enough is enough!
Why doesn’t the city charge monthly rent for the space taken by sidewalk sheds that doubles every month? Apparently some landlords need an extra incentive to get their work done.
good idea
20 years of scaffolding is a clear scam. No building needs scaffolding for that long. Either something is fixable, or it needs changing to something that is fixable. Scaffolding is a temporary thing, not a cash cow for scaffolding companies and people who benefit from these companies’ ‘support’ …
Very nice. Has anyone started doing anything about the shed on the west side of Bwy between 75-76 Streets? According to the city’s tracking website, the abomination will celebrate it’s 11th anniversary on June 16th. As someone who walks under it daily, I can attest that no outdoor or facade work is being done, or has been done in the last several years, and no materials for the extensive interior renovation are being delivered through windows or whatever. We do however have an increasing population of people without a traditional home (including one guy who sets up a series of beach umbrellas to ensure privacy) and posters and graffitti. Numerous emails to Gale Brewer’s office have not elicited a single response. Anyone with suggestions?
try contacting holman-segal?
Im equally as confused about the shed surrounding the Astor on Broadway between 75th and 76th. It’s been over 10 years and almost every store is now vacant with the broadway side looking very run down (Garbage/graffiti/broken sidewalk/ and homeless encampments). I understand they are working on the building but the condition and duration is surprising given it’s such an expensive building. My neighbors are equally concerned too as the problem appears to be getting worse.
Holman-Segal and Lasher never gave up..Got a problem? Go to them..They work for us..
Is there any NYC committee that surveys these sheds and continues to check on them over time? There is a shed on WEA and 85th that has been there for over 5 years.
This should be a criminal matter.
It could have been worse…but five years probably seemed like ages.
575 West End Ave needs to be investigated. Scaffolding has been up for years, and they have set up a “dump area” on 88th street that is a total eyesore. Just last week I found workers PAINTING THE SCAFFOLDING on street level. Hardly an ounce of work being done on the facade itself – they will go months at a time with nobody showing up to the site, and then BAM they show up last week to paint the scaffolding silver? It’s an absolute abomination that tenants have no control over this. Lazy workers + greedy scaffolding companies are a leech on society.
If no work is happening on the building, the unit owners/residents need to blame the condo/coop Board. It is their responsibility to make sure that the contractors complete the work in a reasonable time. I am assuming this is not a full rental building owned by a corporation/landlord.
How about the one between 139th-140th Street and Broadway, the uptown side. They have been one there for over 5 years. I heard the business are not being seen clearly, and business’s are experiencing low sales, and the work on the building is already completed.