By Scott Etkin
A sidewalk shed that has loomed over the northeast corner of West 104th Street and Broadway for more than 10 years is on the way down.
The NYC Department of Design & Construction, which took over the site in 2018, has finished repairing the roof and almost all of the exterior of the building, a DDC representative told the Rag.
Construction workers began removing the part of the shed facing Broadway around 8 a.m. Wednesday. This part of the work was expected to be completed by the afternoon.
The rest of the shed along West 104th Street is planned to come down Thursday. However, a new, smaller shed just around the entrance to the building, will be erected in its place. It is expected to remain there until late August while masonry repairs are completed, a project manager on-site told the Rag.
The setbacks and delays causing the shed to remain up for so long have brought political attention to 2720 Broadway, a city-owned building that was formerly home to the Regents Family Residence, a transitional Department of Social Services homeless shelter run by Volunteers of America, serving 140 families. The address had racked up more than 140 violations with the Department of Buildings and, in April 2024, the FDNY issued a full vacate order for the property. The residents were relocated to shelters across the city.
“[City Councilmember Shaun] Abreu and I are very much going to stay on top of the work that remains with the goal of making sure that the deadline is hit, or to the extent it’s missed, it’s not missed by much,” said State Assemblymember Micah Lasher on a call with the Rag.
Today, the construction sounds and activity on the busy corner, which is across from a subway station, attracted a different kind of attention. Several passersby stopped to take photos.
Seeing the scaffolding come down “feels like a miracle of improbable proportions,” said one nearby resident, who asked not to be named.
The removal of the shed is a win for a part of the Upper West Side that has suffered some blows lately, such as the closing of Silver Moon Bakery on West 105th Street.
While the work continued, yellow tape marked pathways for the public to access Ben & Jerry’s, McDonald’s, and Juanito Barber Shop, the businesses covered by the shed. The shed’s removal revealed the building’s facade for the first time in more than a decade, as well as the graffiti-covered windows of a vacant storefront.
“I hope the store next to Ben & Jerry’s is occupied by a loving tenant very soon,” said another local resident.
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74 and columbus next
then 76th and bway
Google Maps shows it went up between May and September 2014.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/RVGE1sW9eKyWLNTr6
Can someone get an update on 76th and bdway – the Astor?
I live on 76th between wea and riverside drive. That construction on 76th must be there more than 10 years.
I called DOB years ago about it. Was told it was owned by the bank.
Anybody know how long it’s been there?
at least before 2016
We cannot seem to get answers from anyone on the huge shed at the Astor (76th and Broadway). Several of my neighbors have tried asking Gale Brewer but she doesn’t respond. I know for sure it’s over 8 years but others have said its been there 11-12 years.
I have also asked the West Side Rag for help and to look into whats going on here.
It’s just months shy of 10 years old. I moved to 235 W. 76t Street in Jan 2016 and it went up within weeks. I have since moved away and it’s still there.
Will wonders never cease???
To avoid this type of landlord scam in the future…
The city should take measures with a new law from the NYC Buildings Department.
…”There should be a limited time in place for the scaffolding to be up within reason for the construction work to be provided”.
Of which…
A weekly report with photos/video showing proof that the repairs are underway and have been performed.
• What has been done/completed.
If a weekly report has not been submitted with photos/video showing the progress then the NYC Building Department will immediately issue a violation against the owner of the building for every week they are delayed or have not submitting the report.
Of which…
A NYC Buildings Department inspection will be immediately performed at that location within 48hrs. by a “NYC Buildings Inspection Enforcer” that will issue additional large violations to the building’s owner.
It’s quite obvious the NYC Buildings Department looks the other way once an owner puts up the scaffolding pretending he is repairing the violation(s) that has been submitted.
And now we know…Putting up a scaffolding is much cheaper than getting continuous violations from the NYC Building Department.
Except here the landlord was the city itself.
..SO???! Get the f’ing thing down NOW!!
I totally agree!
This makes a lot of sense.
This should’ve been done when they started scaffolding back in the 60s in the city.
It should go for private commercial and city,
anyone!
How are they getting exceptions to standard procedures that require all sheds to be in place until ALL facade work is complete (even in courtyards)? They certainly are years past a FISP deadline to be considered finishing early.
Great news that it’s coming down, but lots of buildings finish street facing facade work then have to keep the whole shed up while they finish courtyard work and await DoB inspection of the whole site. Only then can the shed come down.
This feels like the city giving itself exceptions that every building would benefit from.
This stretch of Broadway CANNOT withstand this building becoming a shelter again. This would be the nail in the coffin for the Broadway area/businesses/vacancies that has been discussed many times on Westside rag.
Where are the local officials here?? Fair share laws or otherwise.
The restored facade looks pretty nice.
Thankfully Ben and Jerry’s is still there¡
Odds are it will soon go back up when its sold redone
i say this as the interior conditions of the building are very bad and
unless a large amount of money is spent the FDNY, DOB will not grant a CofO
City doesn’t have the millions to do the gut rehab required
Similar to what the other large SRO/Shelter hotels in the area have gone through IE The Paris
on WEA and 97th.
The Paris became a regular apartment building more than 40 years ago. Not the same. I happen to live across the street. The Salvation Army Williams residence on 95th is the better recent example. Loss of a great home for poor elderly. Now they are finally finishing the rehab.
I pray you’re right
Hopefully this will help that block. Unfortunately, i often find myself when i’m with children having to cross the street to the other side, walk north or south, and cross back. The McDonalds is frankly a hazard, and hopefully Gayle Brewer & Co. will do something to address the large contingent of people who gather there.
The people who congregate there are usually the delivery men, getting rest and shade. They provide a service to the City and should not be treated like they are a nuisance or hazard. They are different than the unhoused who congregate there. Please distinguish and recognize there is a difference.
Those of us who live close by heard rumors that it would come down in June. We were unconvinced: we’d heard it before.
Then…it did. Even the NYC hardhat-wearing guy directing foot traffic had a grin on his face!
I can’t believe the Ben & Jerry’s sign is so pristine underneath. Ditto McDonald’s. The poor barbershop’s awning, however, is covered in crud. And the vacant storefront (once a nut store, killed by the scaffolding) is covered in graffiti. Will the city clean it? Doubt it, but maybe we’re due for another miracle!
Losing Lenny’s Bagels, which had tables and chairs and coffee at a reasonable price was a far bigger blow than Silver Moon.
That was one of the worst scaffolds, seeing light again there will be amazing.
This is wild. I’m going to give the win to Abreu and Lasher on this one. Now they need to hose down the entire Broadway side for an hour or two to wash away all the third worldness that had settled in.
So let me get this straight…a building that may have taken 1-2 years to build, took 10+ years repair a roof and facade?
Regulations regarding repairs are light years different from what they were when the building was built. So are codes.
As a long-time resident I couldn’t be happier! Among other things the broken electric wheelchairs will be moved, and this table that has had a rotating pile of junk on it! Not to mention the employees at Ben &Jerry’s seeing sunlight for the first time!
Now what can be done about the shed at the Astor Condominium s on Broadway between 75/76th streets. That structure is in place at least 10 years!
All the scaffolding and sheds on Upper Boadway are not good for business, let alone aesthetics and safety.
What is going to happen to the building at 104 and Broadway? Is the city planning to have it return to use as a family shelter?
A beautiful New York City moment. You wouldn’t enjoy it as much if it only took three years.
it is a miracle
It’s long past time to amend Local Law 11.
How about requiring the inspections every 7 years instead of every 5 years – immediately reduce scaffolding by 40% – is my math right?
Add in requirement to finish repairs w/in 1 year unless granted an extension 6 months at a time. Hefty fines for non-compliance.
These are not hard-to-fix problems.
There is no greater example of something that needs to be market rate housing. The strong majority in the area are shelters, supportive housing, Columbia owned or low income housing. Very much needs it.
Any idea of how we can make this happen?
How can we rally to turn this into actual people apartments were combination, market rate, and affordable housing? The neighborhood is overburden with supportive housing and shelters. It needs to have balance.
Does anyone have any idea of who we can even speak to about such things?
Does anyone know who we can speak to about this becoming regular housing and not a shelter? The neighborhood is already overloaded with supportive housing, shelters, and Columbia housing.
The area and local businesses need balance!
Does anyone know at all who we could reach out to to address this??
Glad the scaffolding down but it further reveals a derelict block. Let’s get the storefronts occupied and clean up the block.