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We’ll have Manhattan, The D.A. and a jury, too…
And so we begin with apologies to Rodgers and Hart as our intrepid founders find themselves in the Big Apple together just as Donald Trump’s criminal trial in the Stormy Daniels hush money case seats its jury. To that end we bring on National Review’s Andy McCarthy, who just this week the former president called “a great legal scholar” to opine on whether Trump can get a fair hearing in front of this judge – and this jury – in this town.
We also touch on Israel’s military action into Iran on Thursday night.
We hate to Bragg but it’s a pretty good show.
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Hi, I am an architect in NYC. I met James and Rob at the NYC Meet Up. The biggest reason for the scaffolding or actually what are called sidewalk bridges is the Local Law 11 inspection regime. Every building in NYC over 6 stories needs to be inspected every 5 years (it was orignally 7 years). If there are any conditions that would be considered unsafe, such as cracks and spalling in the masonry, then the report is filed ‘Unsafe’ and a sidewalk bridge needs to installed immediately.
Then the building owner needs have the engineer or architect do drawings of the repair work, solicit bids, award a contract, get on the contractor’s schedule for the work. The whole time that is going on, the bridge is sitting there. The city’s reasoning is that the bridges protects the public from incidents like this ‘This is a devastating loss’: Dad of toddler killed by falling brick (nypost.com)
However, for many buildings they just put up the bridge, pay the rent on it, and do not the work because; they don’t have the money, or there is a fight amongst the co-op or condo board, or there are estate issues after an owner dies, or someone wants to tear the building down but is facing community opposition. So the project ends up limbo and the bridge stays.
The City is try to address this by issuing violations if the repair work is not done within a period of time after the report is filed, but some owners will pay the penalties if spending money to repair the building in the short term does not align with their long term goals for the property; like they want to tear the building down, or do a major renovation and addition.
Brett
I came here to mention the scaffolding and Brett beat me to it. I saw a video a couple years ago and it sounded just like what Rob was saying. Here it is.
“Go away green”. lol You learn something every day.
Yes. I read about this in a free newspaper I got in an actual newspaper box the last time I was in NYC, and it made me mad. But the article wasn’t as concise or clear as yours – thanks!
BTW, what do you think of the new JP Morgan building? I’m not a fan. Yet. Maybe never. And even though the town abounds with SOM / Emery Roth international style towers, I rather liked the one they took down to build JPM.
Andrew McCarthy contradicts himself.
Why should we complain about the lack of a jury trial in Trump’s civil fraud trial, he says, unless we believe a jury trial would be fair. (This is shortly before the 29:00 line.)
Yet earlier he had said what Trump can hope for in his criminal, “hush money” trial is not a fair jury trial, but a single hold out, resulting in a hung jury.
I made a point to walk up Park to check it out. I hadn’t seen it since they started with the cladding. I am not a fan either. It seems a mishmash. The massing of the upper portion steps back symmetrically as an art-deco tower but sits an Archigram type frame that cantilevers out. It’s weird.
It is weird. The Moderne setbacks might work better if it didn’t taper. The cross-braces remind one of the John Hancock in Chicago. It’s an arrogant building, and in New York that would work if it was distinctive. I don’t think it’s distinctive. I have my hopes now pinned on the Commodore site building.
I like the idea of a New York City meetup.
Soon, please?
And maybe a super-secret advance VIP invitation for native New Yorkers and long-time name-checkers?
The taper and cross-bracing reminded me of John Hancock Center too, though JHC doesn’t have any setbacks which is why it works better. I am looking at the latest renderings for 175 Park. It looks like they made the setbacks deeper, which, I don’t think, looks as nice. I do like the base, the terrace alongside the Park Ave viaduct, and anything that makes going down to the subway there nicer.