New York is a city full of scaffolding! However, some scaffolding remains in place for years and no work is progressing. Here is the explanation.
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A scaffolding on Fifth Avenue in New York. (Photo Steven Pisano)
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Scaffolding in all parts of New York
As you walk through the streets of New York, you will quickly notice that many buildings are surrounded by scaffolding. In many cases, you will see renovation work in progress on the facade. But, often, you will never see a single worker at work… The scaffolding seems to rest on the facade without anything happening.
And these are not isolated cases! According to New York Times, more than 1400 buildings in New York are covered with scaffolding while no work is in progress. Some scaffolding has even been in place for several decades. You will find them faithfully on each of your trips to New York… You will come across many of them in the financial district of New York and in Midtown.
No work in progress but a matter of security
So why such a deployment? In the absence of work, these approximately 1400 scaffoldings were installed due to a structural problem on the facade, to protect pedestrians from any falling rocks or any other element.
Logically, the owners of these buildings should carry out the necessary renovation work. But some owners refuse to do so and the situation remains as it is, despite the warnings and the fines. The transitional solution therefore consists of installing a structure that protects passers-by. A temporary that can last…
And the question is in any case far from being anecdotal! When the renovation work is not carried out and the building is abandoned, accidents happen… In December 2019, a 60-year-old woman was killed by falling debris that detached from a facade, on 49th Street, not far from 7th Avenue, in the heart of Midtown. The building was not subject to any protective device.
Long-term scaffolding on the Upper West Side. (Photo Deansfa)
