Here will be collected (or at least that's the intention...) press clippings that are connected with NYC skyscrapers. And rather than being one of those directly connected with new building developments in the city or other issues that would warrant a treatment of their own in the Additional Info sections, these will be more of news-in-brief type clippings or of even lighthearted nature.
The dates on top of the entries refer to the addition of the clipping, rather than the actual release of the news.

1

The large Swedish contractor firm Skanska made in 1998 a survey of over a thousand Americans about their 10 favourite buildings home and abroad (a similar survey was conducted in Sweden).
Interesting in the US buildings list was the fact that, along with such "objective" views as the surveyees' own house ranking overall second, the fifth and seventh places went to the critically lambasted Sears Tower and World Trade Center, respectively. Looks like the (nationwide) public know better than the architecture critics... ;^)
Oh, yes... and a building called the Empire State Building took the Americans' number one slot.
In the worldwide lists the only "modern" skyscraper (along with the Eiffel Tower and the "leaning" Pisa Belfry) was the Empire State, ranking eighth in the Swedes' worldwide list.

2

On 25th of January an elevator in the Empire State Building fell 40 stories (approx. a distance of 400 feet) from the 44th floor, stopping only at the 4th floor.
The two passengers, employees working in the building, were not seriously hurt. It was said that the elevator had passed an inspection on May 19, 1999. All 64 elevators were scheduled for inspection on the week of the incident.
(Now, this is news that will make all Empire visitors assured -- not that there would have been a shortage of visitors anyway. ED)

3

Donald Trump announces the World's Tallest in New York City.
Yesterday a deal was finally made between the City and developer Donald Trump to bring the title of World's Tallest Piece of Swaying Office and Apartment Property to New York City. (So far the title has been held by two flagstaffs in Malaysia.) The planned tower will be 2001 feet high, "to commemorate the year the construction starts and to signify the yearly amount of announcements by mr. Trump for projects 'certainly to be carried out'", the developer's representative said.
From unconfirmed sources it has been informed that the deal was struck on the condition that Donald restrains himself from buying the new 50-foot long limousine that he had been eying. As the representative of Mayor Giuliani stated: "a limousine that long can pose security problems to the City Hall and also render the zero-tolerance policy useless -- that is, no tolerance for limos longer than Mayor's present 49-foot Chrysler..."

4

Commercial Mortgage Alert Newsletter: Billionaire Sam Zell's Equity Properties Trust agreed to buy one of Manhattan's largest office buildings for $715 million. Credit Lyonnais Bldg. (former Penny's Bldg.), 1301 Ave. of the Americas.
((image - the one on the right) Talk about silly money -- for that price you could have gone the French Way and make a 4.5 meter post-completion extension on the flight deck of their new nuclear A/C carrier... ED)

5

The news about the impending United Nations renovation (link) state that the costs could be up to $1 billion dollars.
"...the United Nations � is in disrepair. Asbestos tiles violate building codes. Electrical wiring is antiquated. Inefficient windows drive up heating bills. Sprinklers to guard against fire don't exist."
"...the complex [...] hasn't had a top-to-bottom renovation since Harrison and Trygve Lie, then the secretary-general, laid the U.N. cornerstone on Oct. 24, 1949 � and it shows."
"organization would have to spend $1.6 billion including energy costs over 25 years if the United Nations continues with its current, inefficient ways and slowly replaces equipment as it wears out."
"Other proposals include building new office space or even adding extra floors onto the existing library or main office tower � although the latter is not being recommended, the diplomats said."
A once-and-for-all renovation is planned to take six years, but where the money comes, is open at the moment:
"Washington, which is already $1.6 billion in debt to the United Nations, is a tough sell on new U.N. costs."
"Hays, the deputy U.S. ambassador, said possible payment options for the U.N. renovation included interest-free loans, increasing the budget allotment over time for U.N. member states or securing a bond from private firms. "The United States will want to do the right thing," he said, noting that the renovation was part of the U.S. campaign to streamline and reform the United Nations' bureaucracy. "It's part of the reform process."
Well, that could be one way to finally make amends of the giant US debt...

6

In a city where the ones looking up are labelled as tourists, maybe the locals should also take a peek up once in a while:
"A motorized scaffold on a building across the street from Grand Central Terminal collapsed last night, leaving three workers dangling from safety harnesses 20 stories above the sidewalk until an aerial rescue by firefighters.
"As onlookers watched from the Grand Hyatt Hotel across the street, firefighters attached ropes to columns and lowered Firefighter Dan Duddy three stories to the stranded workers, who were half-perched on a ledge of the building at 125 Park Avenue, and supported only by their harnesses.
"The debris from the scaffold hit a car on 42nd Street whose 26-year-old driver was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where he was in stable condition with glass in his eye. The police halted traffic on 42nd Street after the collapse."
The fall was attributed to a stuck pulley system, stones falling from the top, or a snapped support cable, depending on commentator's opinion.
"According to Department of Building records, the building, which occupies the entire east side of Park Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets and also fronts on 42nd Street, has 19 unresolved violations."

7

Connected to the previous UN renovation article, The Man himself has been drawn into the vortex:
"The Swedish ambassador to the United Nations, PIERRE SCHORI, sent Mr. Trump a three-page letter last month inviting Mr. Trump to a meeting in Mr. Schori's office at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza."
He invited Trump to discuss the possible renovation and expansion of the headquarters, estimated to cost about $1 billion.
"I want him to start thinking seriously about his neighbor, the United Nations," Mr. Schori said yesterday. "Ted Turner, Bill Gates, a lot of people like Trump are doing something about world affairs, too. I would like to talk to him, not in a confrontational way, to see if he ever thinks of those things. I have some ideas that are quite obvious. The U.N. building is in need of refurbishing if he wants to."
Ted Turner and Bill Gates? Not maybe the first examples to come to mind as altruistic world affair figures...
"I cannot for the life of me figure out how they can be spending more than a billion dollars in order to renovate and enlarge a building," he [Trump] said. "I would love to work with them so that they could save a tremendous amount of money.
"Then, a brainstorm that only Mr. Trump could have had: "Perhaps the amount of money I save could be decucted from the amount the United States owes" the United Nations. "It would be a tremendous amount."
Spot on. Even if nothing comes of it (not unheard of...), seems that I made the right move when I saluted The Man's portrait in the lobby of the Trump Tower... ;^)

8

According to an NYT Article, Rockefeller Center is about to change hands (at least some of them) in spring. The combined bid of $1.85 billion by Lester Crown's family and one of the current owners, developer Jerry Speyer of Tishman Speyer has gained them the ownership of the 22-acre center.
The deal also means eventually the end of any Rockefeller family's involvement (at least direct) with the center:
"Under the terms of the pending deal, Mr. Speyer and Lester Crown's family from Chicago, which together owned 5 percent of the complex, will be acquiring the interests of their partners: David Rockefeller, the former chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank; the Goldman Sachs Group; the Agnelli family of Italy; and the estate of the Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos."
The economy, at least in the NY real estate, seems to be still able to absorb its share of transactions:
"It is unlikely that there will be any major changes at Rockefeller Center when the deal is completed next spring. But the sale is another indication of a booming real estate market in New York, where over the last four years the giant financial services and media companies expanded and tourists flocked to the city. Rockefeller Center itself has doubled in value since the Goldman Sachs group bought it in 1996 for the equivalent of $900 million. At that point, Rockefeller Center had slipped into bankruptcy and the Japanese company that owned the complex had walked away from what it thought was a losing investment."
Goldman Sachs, in fact, expected $2.2 to $2.5 billion for the center, although bidders had other views:
"In recent weeks, the Fishers, Mr. Zell and Mr. Zuckerman, who said he would not go as high as $1.8 billion, dropped out of the bidding. "We felt we could invest our money elsewhere at better returns," Mr. Zuckerman said.
(Now with the 1985-1996 owners Mitsubishi, the new owner Crowns' General Dynamics (in which they have commanding share) and the General Electric in its namesake building, the center is becoming a combination of fighter (and jet engine) manufacturer names...)

According to an NYT article, a 2.4 to 2.5 magniture earthquake shook the city on Wednesday.
"Dan M. Davis, a professor of geophysics at the State University at Stony Brook, said there are 100,000 earthquakes each year around the world that are as big as yesterday's quake or bigger, and most of them do not warrant a mention. The only reason it got attention is it was shallow and felt in a high- intensity area."
The good old cross-river rivalry never fails to materialize:
"Even the epicenter was a point of contention. When early reports by seismologists put ground zero across the Hudson River in New Jersey, Mr. Giuliani appeared on television from outside a courier company in Long Island City, Queens, where some heavy shaking had been reported, and proclaimed that the earthquake occurred first and its effect was biggest beneath his city."
"The seismologists placed the epicenter somewhere on the Upper East Side, first identifying Second Avenue and 75th Street and later moving it farther uptown to 83rd Street between Second and Third Avenues."
There were initially sidewalk theories about the cause of the shaking, ranging from a manhole explosion to a covered-up disaster, but the closest one must be:
"There was also talk of God punishing a city of sinners, as one woman on the Upper East Side put it."

10

Those with fear in their hearts don't play, seems the Hadar family think as they acquire the Citigroup Center. NYT reports:
"Eric D. Hadar and his father, Richard, bid $725 million for the silver tower at Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street, pre-empting other prospective buyers at the very moment many real estate executives were holding their breath, worried that the economy would slow, ending a spectacular real estate boom."
As with Rockefeller Center, another Japanese connection:
"The Hadars are expected to sign a contract to buy the office tower this morning from Dai-ichi Life Investment Properties, a Japanese insurance company that has owned a major stake in the building since 1987."
"[Then the then-]Citicorp sold Dai-Ichi a two-thirds interest in Citicorp Center and a one- third interest in the bank's former headquarters at 399 Park Avenue for $670 million."
After this transaction, Citicorp/group will move their HQ back to the 399 Park Avenue which they acquired fully back from the insurance company.
A major reason for the transaction taking place even as the US economy is undergoing a period of uncertainty stems from the prestige reasons and NYC real estate dynasties' rivalry.
"For me and Dad, this is a multigenerational asset," Eric Hadar said in an interview on Monday. "If you look back at the legendary New York real estate families, they've always built their empires by agreeing to pay up. A building like this almost never comes on the market."
Although the vacancy rate in the city doesn't (yet) cause insomnia for the owners -- even those buying with $700 million -- the slowing economy may lead to falling rates and vacant space in office towers (similarly, apartment rents have come down, at times even radically).
"Mr. Riguardi of Colliers ABR said there was still very little vacant space and new buildings under construction already had tenants, although he expected rents to fall by as much as one-third on the far West Side of Manhattan and in other once- industrial areas that had become fashionable for now struggling e- commerce and technology companies."
Indeed, the speculative purchases by funds and trusts have (again) been replaced by the wealth and long-term ownership of the developer families.
"Eric Hadar said that he moved quickly in mid-December when he heard that Citigroup Center was about to go on the auction block. He notified Dai-ichi that he wanted to make a pre-emptive offer for the building, before the Japanese company accepted any bids."
Although other bidders cringed at the asking price, with financial backing from the German Deutsche Bank, Hadars are now ready to brandish a $40 million deposit in order to complete the deal and take their place in the NYC real estate owners pantheon.

11

Partisan Office War rages on in the City.
Not only is Rudy a protector of decency and proper artistic values, but also of the sanctity of rental contracts: after Bill Clinton's plan to occupy a high-rent space on the 56th floor of the Carnegie Hall Tower was severely criticized, he went for renting a space in an office building on 125th Street in Harlem.
With the 14-storey building top floor already occupied by the city's child welfare agency, Mayor Giuliani hinted of being ready to receive "an offer that they can't deny".
"Mr. Giuliani said that he had no desire to block Mr. Clinton's move to the office, at 55 West 125th Street, saying instead that it was a "good thing for him to be in Harlem." But so far, the mayor said, the building's landlord, Cogswell Realty Group, had not met the conditions the city had set to turn over the 14th floor to Mr. Clinton in exchange for other space within the building."
"The mayor said that before the city would agree to accept alternative space within the building, the landlord would have to compensate the city for giving up the top floor, with its panoramic views."
Breakin' News: Seems that just as I'm writing this, the cease-fire, I mean: deal, has just been completed on the issue.
"In addition to giving him a base among some of his strongest supporters, an office in the building with a marble lobby and panoramic views will likely cost Clinton about $500,000 less in annual rent than offices he had considered on 57th Street. The cost of that midtown address had drawn widespread criticism."

12

First time, second time, sold?
It wasn't Leona after all, to be featured here next as yet another developer paying the big money in acquiring another NYC landmark (and this time I really mean the landmark of landmarks):
"Vornado Realty Trust has emerged as the high bidder for the largest commercial real estate complex of all: the 110-story Twin Towers and World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan."
Although the price has now doubled from the 1998 estimate for the 99-year lease, to about $3.25 billion (hum), the other two bidders were also asked to counter and raise their offers.
"Silverstein Properties, whose partners include Westfield America and GMAC, is now within $30 million of Vornado, the executives said. At the same time, Boston Properties and Brookfield [Financial Properties], once considered the sure winner, raised their offer to about $3 billion."
"As a result, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the World Trade Center, is still checking the fine print in the offers and may not complete its review in time to designate a winner at its board meeting tomorrow."
The Port Authorities, the WTC complex's owners since its inception in the late 1960s, decided to sell their real estate three years ago. But there is pressure to end the Center's long history of tax abatements:
"Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has insisted that the authority put the World Trade Center on the city's tax rolls. The authority gives the city a payment in lieu of taxes, about $29 million last year, but city officials say that is only a fourth of what the property taxes would be.
"But rather than negotiate with Mr. Giuliani, authority officials decided to wait to deal with the mayor's successor, and in the meantime will be responsible for any increase in the payments."

14

The investment bankers Goldman Sachs are planning to replace the elevated plaza at 55 Water Street with a new addition including several large trading floors. The development would use air rights transferred all the way from the South Street Seaport district.
"To build the new 13-story, 750,000- square-foot [69,700 m²] trading structure, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Goldman Sachs would eliminate the elevated plaza and alter the north tower, adding 35 feet to its height. The trading floors would have 56,000 square feet [5,200 m²], an extraordinary amount of room in the cramped financial district."
And as usual, the city and state will be milked for corporate welfare.
"The project's cost has been estimated at $850 million. The company might apply for financial incentives from the city and state. Completion of the building is expected at the end of 2004."
The banking firm has already leased spaces from a host of buildings across the Financial District.
"Besides the headquarters at 85 Broad Street, Goldman Sachs leases large blocks at 10 Hanover Square, 1 Liberty Plaza, 180 Maiden Lane, 1 New York Plaza, 32 Old Slip and 77 Water Street."
The company is proposing to provide funds for neighbourhood improvements.
"To make up for the loss of open space, Goldman Sachs would pay for $5 million in improvements nearby. It would furnish a 1,300-foot stretch of East River esplanade, from Old Slip to the Battery Maritime Building, with a bike path, a walkway and seating; landscape a barren public area in front of 55 Water Street; and contribute to the renovation of Vietnam Veterans Plaza on the south side of the tower."
A part of a futuristic plan, the plaza hasn't been a total success, not least due to owners' actions through the years.
"Fifty-four steps above street level � and even farther off the beaten path � the plaza is one of the largest privately owned public spaces in New York."
"Escalators to the plaza have frequently not worked in the past (and were not operating yesterday and Monday). In the 1980's, when 55 Water Street was owned by Olympia & York, stairways to the plaza were barricaded for years."
"Today, it is isolated, barren, usually deserted and sometimes downright scary. A concession stand has long since been boarded up and the fountains silenced."
(I can agree on the scary part, while taking the plaza image last May, I was definitely working faster than normally...)
But the residents in the 205 co-ops of the 3 Hanover Square are against the proposition, partly because of lost river views.
""It is somewhat ironic [...] that part of the reward for neglecting a public plaza is giving the ownership the right to not only eliminate the public space but to add a 750,000- square-foot building on the site.""

15

Another Speyer news, again.
Jerry Speyer's Tishman Speyer has closed a $300 million deal, handing over a 75 per cent stake of the Chrysler Building to a German investment group.
"The investment group, TMW, can now claim a hold on a 77-story skyscraper with an internationally recognized profile. But the current owners, Tishman Speyer Properties and Travelers Group, will retain control of the tower and the adjoining 32-story Chrysler East building."
The deal originated from an auction effort of the building last year -- as the expected $800 million offer wasn't forthcoming (the buildings had cost $220 million in 1997 + $100 million worth of renovations), a financing deal was struck instead.
As for where we're going now:
"Under the terms of the deal, the 1.2- million-square-foot Chrysler Building is valued at $400 million. The smaller tower, once known as the Kent Building, is valued at about $300 million."
The partners of the deal also co-own the Tishman Building on Fifth Avenue.

16

Was already wondering which one they're gonna vacate...
Deutsche Bank is probably the next (and only second) owner of the 60 Wall Street, built for the J.P. Morgan Bank to Downtown Manhattan. After being vacated by the late-2000-merged bank of J.P. Morgan Chase (with the nearby 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza remaining in the bank's hands), the German bank will combine its operations within this one office building:
"Deutsche Bank has about 10,000 employees spread among its current headquarters, at 31 West 52nd Street, and 130 Liberty Street and seven other buildings, including three in Jersey City. An executive who had been briefed on the deal said, 'To have everyone in one location is a positive thing for a bank.'"
J.P. Morgan Chase vacated the building in favour of a Midtown location, an ongoing trend in the financial/banking sector (along with leaving for Jersey City, something that the bank has made with operations in the 55 Water Street).
"Deutsche Bank and its broker, Insignia/ESG, had been scouting sites for well over a year. Deutsche Bank finally latched onto 60 Wall Street after J. P. Morgan quietly began circulating sales information."
The deal also continues the series of heavy-duty NYC financial transactions:
"Real estate executives estimated the sale price would fall between $530 million and $640 million."

17

The practice of open houses, open-door presentations by real estate agents of apartments for sale, are only one of the many forms of peeping activities in The City, and also have their share of heavy-duty "activists".
"While estimates vary, a number of agents figure that at least 20 percent of their open house traffic is not serious."
In a way they are only a pre-virtual reality, lo-tech civic (or rather, private) activity:
"'For the everyday person who wants to see what a million-to-a-two-and-a-half-million-dollar apartment looks like, instead of looking at it in Architectural Digest, they can walk through,'"
The Man himself is however not so amused about the activity on his properties, including the new Trump World Tower:
"'In a certain way, they're virtually professional con artists,' Donald J. Trump said. 'Sadly, I get more than anyone else by far.' Of all his properties, he said, Trump World Tower, on First Avenue and 48th Street, attracts the most 'false hunters,' as he calls them. 'It's the tallest residential building in the world,' he said. 'They all want to see it.'"
And finally a new sightseeing hint for overseas tourists:
"Even tourists find their way to open houses. Robert Gross, a senior vice president at Douglas Elliman, said he had some visitors from Japan last year. 'They came in with their guidebooks and the Sunday Times,' Mr. Gross recalled."
Mark my words & forget about Brooks's The Producers, this will be the next Big Thing in the Big Apple...

18

The always unease marriage of developers and architects is now nevertheless getting a dose of counselling as the new, trendy wave of NYC residential skyscrapers clad by the Architectural Names is gaining momentum.
Donald is not the only one well-versed in making hyperboles; the developer of the new 425 Fifth Avenue has come forth with no less extravagant comments that will be boosted by the presence of the name of architect Michael Graves:
"The fact is that my building is going to become one of the Three Sisters, along with the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. This isn't grandiose. This is reality. It's going to penetrate the skyline. It will change every postcard of New York City."
The power behind the newly-found collaboration of the two professions has (usually) been the interest from condo buyers that the involvement of a well-known architect can bring to the sales market.
"'In the current glutted market, the signature name gets people through the door.'"
For a relatively bearable increase in architect fees, the increased sales -- as well as, sometimes, more streamlined application process in the hands of the city officials -- can be a valuable asset.
"'Basically, New York housing is designed by formula, with lots of restrictions.' And it's not just because of zoning. Between the bankers who lend the money and the developers, the notion of what will sell 'is so conservative, so tightly drawn, both by code and convention, that it's impossible to get anything approved.'"
And talking about Donald, the first major NYC residential project using a "name" architect, Philip Johnson's Trump International Hotel & Tower, was indeed a success on the market, even though not between the two major players:
"'Philip had a few ideas about the skin of the building � that's all,' Mr. Trump said last week. 'Philip added much more to the promotional value of the building than he did to the design.'"
And in the spirit of mutual friendliness the reply from Johnson was:
"'That's very funny. I said the same of him.'"
But not even a name designer like Johnson can ensure success with the officials; his planned residential tower at the West Village/TriBeCa waterside is likely to be snubbed:
"The building, which needs both height and use variances to be built, would be 26 stories high. 'I don't think we'll get it,' Mr. Johnson said on Monday, of the variances. 'The rules are that buildings can only be so high in that district, and we're double that.'"
Thank God.
But despite the aggravating working conditions, NYC is The Place to come and design a work:
"'When you're talked about here, it registers everywhere. It's the premier marketplace in the country. It's like a great big trumpet.'"
On the other hand, as the NYC developer maxim according to Don Trump (who rejoined his old designer C. Kondylis for the Trump World Tower) goes:
"'If I were a buyer, I'd much rather have a great developer than a great architect.'"

19

A loosened scaffolding for a construction elevator at the construction site of the Westin New York Hotel at Eighth and 43rd led to the closing of the street for five hours.
"Firefighters and police officers began closing off the block to pedestrians and traffic, while workers installed additional braces. Fire apparatus and rescue trucks at Eighth Avenue and 43rd Street snarled traffic before safety officials determined that the scaffold was not in danger of collapse. The block was reopened to traffic by 6 p.m."
If the incident seemed similar to the one that occurred at the nearby Condé Nast Building in 1998, also the supplier of the elevator, Universal Builders Supply, was the same.
"In the earlier accident, in July 1998, a 700-foot elevator scaffold at the 48-story Cond� Nast building in Times Square buckled and broke, killing a woman in a nearby hotel and paralyzing traffic for several days. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration later found that the scaffolding had been missing critical support braces on 10 floors and fined Universal $18,200."
The Buildings Department investigates the causes of the failure, but the company has already been fined $7,600 in February this year for safety violations.

20

With the dust settling in Downtown Manhattan and the clearing of debris underway, Larry Silverstein -- the head of the consortium led by Silverstein Properties that leased the World Trade Center and also owned the collapsed 7 WTC -- is already planning a new development to the site:
"'I am obligated by my lease to pay rent for 99 years, I am obligated to rebuild, and I have the money to rebuild,' he explained, referring in an interview to his expectation that insurance companies would pay him more than enough money to build what he vowed would be "world class quality" office buildings. 'It seems to me I am going to end up rebuilding; the only question is how best to accomplish that,' he said."
With the situation being unbalanced and still very much clouded by uncertain economic future, prompt action is the developer's way:
"Mr. Silverstein's pledge � he said he wanted to erect an "appropriate" memorial to the 6,000 victims and resurrect ten million square feet of lost office space � also serves as a way for him to stake his claim early in a shifting landscape of loss, economic uncertainty, competition and clashing political interests."
Silverstein has wasted little time in getting the wheels turning and the connections and backing cleared for a redevelopment.
"Mr. Silverstein has attended memorial services and fund-raisers, and he has also met with his lawyers, advisers and government officials. Last week, he hired the prominent architect David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. New York officials went to Washington to meet with the New York congressional delegation to press for more federal aid. So did Mr. Silverstein, in meetings yesterday with Representative Charles B. Rangel and others. Mr. Silverstein sought federal guarantees for construction loans and protection from lawsuits brought by the victims or their families, according to a government aide who attended the meeting."
As for the economic impact on Silverstein Properties:
"Mr. Silverstein said that he was entitled to $3.6 billion in insurance to cover the losses in each terrorist attack, and that since there were two, he was counting on $7.2 billion. He acknowledged that the insurance companies disagreed with his theory, but added, 'they are showing every sign of acting like statesmen.'"
One thing that I wasn't personally aware was the insurance for such a vast amount -- or that the insurance companies would be prepared to pay for such an occurrence... So, far from being broke, Silverstein Properties should be well-off for any kind of future redevelopment.

21

Like I've always said: "one day they'll see it with my eyes..."
In fact, after the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent mourning of the WTC, I wondered whether NYorkers would give other undervalued behemoths more lenient treatment as a part of their high-rise legacy. Seems that at least some people in the once-critical communities have reversed their view.
"In 1963 the Pan Am Building, just north of Grand Central Terminal, was to many critics one of the biggest and ugliest things on the Manhattan skyline. Today, as workers are cleaning and restoring the white facade of what is now the MetLife Building, there are signs that a new generation is re-examining that decades-old verdict."
For me the only "proper" (and unabashedly elitistic) way to arrive in Manhattan has been by helicopter straight to the Pan Am roof helipad; a vision of a British Airways Chinook or Sea King whisking from JFK, past ground traffic congestion was one of the first about NYC in my childhood. The Pan Am was back then in fact the second building that I got to know from NYC -- after the Empire of course -- and I've thus never lost my "affection" to it, despite its undeniable shortcomings (seems like after the 9/11 I'm starting to lose my grip and start a batch of "confessions")...
"Helicopter service to the roof (discontinued after an accident in 1977) realized a futuristic dream. In a 1966 article in The Architects' Journal, the architectural historian Reyner Banham said: 'There is no other way to come into the island city of Manhattan. From now on, it has to be helicopter or nothing.'"
But indeed, lately several former detractors have started to give the building more credit:
"Frank Sanchis, executive director of the Municipal Art Society, has been involved in an unsuccessful effort to get MetLife to retain the Albers mural, "Manhattan," over the escalators leading to Grand Central. (The mural has been stored during renovations and MetLife has said it has no plans to put the mural back because it interferes with light and open access to the lobby.)
"'You have to put your personal response to it aside,' Mr. Sanchis, who is 58 and remembers the original dispute, said of the building. 'It involved some major figures, and there are so few buildings that actually try to integrate art and architecture. But I don't think the landmarks commission is going to designate it anytime soon.'"
You can say that twice.
"John Jurayj, 32, a painter in Brooklyn, has been involved in several preservation efforts and is a member of a preservation organization, the Modern Architecture Working Group of New York City. Mr. Jurayj, who was not born when the building went up, said he sees it as "very forward thinking and not antiurban in terms of bringing people back to the city � it's a very high quality building.
"'It seems that New Yorkers are emotionally connected to what were originally brutal interventions of our skyline. The loss of the World Trade Center shows that buildings that we may not think of as great architecture are important to our sense of ourselves and our city. Aesthetics are dependent upon the passage of time.'"

22

The 1 Liberty Plaza next to the WTC, a building that was already reported as collapsed on live TV on 9/11 (adding to the feeling of total destruction conveyed through the evening of channel-hopping) is now due to open -- albeit to a greatly reduced clientele, strengthened security and an air of gloom (and acrid smell).
"Among the buildings in the area, 1 Liberty Plaza was unusual because of the numerous erroneous news reports, including one broadcast on CNN, that the building had collapsed. In fact, the building also had its own rumor mill and its own running joke, which made its way up from the street all the way to the Department of Buildings: 'Oops, Liberty Plaza just collapsed again.'"
The building has been reported as "structurally sound", but the hesitation to return doesn't stem from the fear of collapse:
"What scares many of those who will be moving back has nothing to do with structural integrity. It has to do with the emotion of doing business in offices practically atop ground zero. The building's lobby was an emergency triage center on the night of the attacks, and one of its stores was a makeshift morgue. The building is directly across Church Street from the trade center's rubble."
As for the owners' thoughts about the future of operations in the building:
"The building's management company, Brookfield Financial Properties, is gauging what occupancy will be after the attacks. The chief executive of Brookfield, Richard B. Clark, said he recognized that 'a number of firms that had to take temporary space have the latitude to take their time before coming back.' He added, 'I think it will take a month or so before people come back in.'"
For the time being the displaced companies are more committed to staying in their temporary locations or new permanent office spaces, something that may only change slowly.
"Mr. Mermel [chief executive of TenantWise.com] said he concluded from his surveys that only 12 percent of tenants who leased more than 10,000 square feet of space in destroyed or damaged buildings had committed to returning to Lower Manhattan. That might be because the logistics of working so close to ground zero present their own set of challenges."

23

The hefty aid package of $54 billion requested from Washington D.C. to help New York state in the aftermath of the 9/11 is far from certain and will almost certainly be heavily cut; some of it has been nevertheless earmarked for the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan.
"Under the city's proposal, businesses that agree to return to or set up shop in Lower Manhattan would receive a $5,000 cash bonus for each employee, and developers would have access to tax-free bonds to help erect buildings in the area destroyed by the terrorist attack last month. The city estimates that the cost of reconstructing downtown at between $8 billion and $15 billion."
At the same time Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles E. Schumer are drawing from city officials' and businesses' guidelines, proposing an alternative package -- and one more likely to pass -- of tax abatements and subsidies for companies returning to Downtown Manhattan and for developers building there. (So, while the "heroes" of the city booed Clinton on/offstage during the MSG charity concert, she is doing her own part in getting the city back on track. But why let facts come in the way of good catcalling...)
The scheme would consist of tax abatements based on the number of workers for the duration of three years, with also the possibility of subsidizing NYC businesses moving outside Manhattan. The Downtown support proposal could reach a total of $750 million to refill approx. 2.3 million m² of new office space.
A variation by Clinton and Schumer would also extend the period of subsidies and possible not have a pre-determined maximum sum.
"However, city officials hinted that since it was unlikely that two huge towers would be built in the World Trade Center's space and that smaller buildings might go there instead, businesses that chose to set up shop in other boroughs might be accommodated by this plan if lower Manhattan became overpopulated."
And as for the construction subsidies itself:
"For some developers, who are loath to build in Manhattan because of high costs and bureaucratic hurdles, the city would like to offer access to tax-exempt bonds that would significantly reduce their costs of building. The city envisions developers going to its Industrial Development Authority to secure bonds on which purchasers would not be obligated to pay city, state or federal taxes, in turn lowering the interest rate for the developers.
"City officials argue that the benefit is attractive because although it would represent a loss of about $13 billion in tax revenues for the federal government, it would not require a cash payout to the city. Tax on bond interest was not anticipated revenue anyway, since there were no plans before Sept. 11 to do major rebuilding in lower Manhattan."

24

Back to the old days when the firefighters were in jeopardy only due to lousy machinery:
"Forty-two people were injured yesterday when part of a cooling and ventilation unit exploded in the basement of a downtown office building, officials said.
"The explosion occurred around 1:20 p.m. at 1 New York Plaza, officials said, while firefighters were preparing to leave the building after having extinguished a small blaze that broke out at a construction site there hours earlier.
"The construction crew had been dismantling a chiller unit that was part of the building's heating, ventilation and cooling system, officials said. After that fire had been put out, and firefighters were preparing to leave, there was a large explosion."
Although the exact cause of the explosion is unknown, it is known that sparks from a demolition saw was the initial cause. No structural damage to the building was reported.
"Although contained, the fire continued to burn into last night. That, said Chief Norman, was a necessary precaution because of the intense heat from the still-burning [5,000 deg.F] titanium rods that made up the chiller unit.

25

Seems like these days New Yorkers are calling for a return of biblical proportions: the indomitable Moses himself: Robert Moses, the public works überherr in the city in 1934-1968, the forceful mind behind an array of highway, bridge, park and construction projects (many of which were blissfully left unrealized).
"Mr. Moses comes to mind increasingly as New Yorkers look to the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and wonder how it will ever be accomplished, given clashing agendas and a large and ever- growing cast of characters, not one of them a leader with the kind of power and authority it will take to bring order to fragmentation, vision to necessity."
So, a Moses is what's seen as a necessity in that multitude of committees and bodies involved in the redevelopment of the WTC site:
"Consider the list so far: Survivors of the victims of Sept. 11; Gov. George E. Pataki and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the land; Larry A. Silverstein, who bought control of the trade center complex two months before the attack and is already planning to rebuild 7 World Trade Center; the 11 members of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, 7 appointed by Mr. Pataki, among them its chairman, 79- year-old John C. Whitehead, and 4 by former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani; an advisory panel to the development corporation that includes several state and city politicians; more advisory panels to be appointed by Mr. Whitehead; neighborhood representatives; and assorted interested parties from editorial boards to academicians."
Would there be a place for a Moses in the collective heart of the city's populace, even after an era that brought a multitude of personal and political clashes connected to Moses's plans? (After all, even Giuliani with, at times, similarly brash and unapologetic methods, redeemed himself in the eyes of the NYorkers before his departure...) Even though such a choice could well follow the pattern of Moses's ultra-utilitarian approach...
"A latter-day Moses could do it � a sensitive Moses, if that is not a contradiction in terms � with the vision to realize that there is more at stake than constructing an appropriate memorial and putting up new buildings. There is the larger task of reinventing a strategic section of the city."
A sensitive Moses? That indeed seems a contradiction of the greatest magnitude. So much for an office-dominated development then... Although when it comes to handling such large-scale plans that the WTC (and Lower Manhattan) redevelopment requires, Moses would relish, I doubt that he would much cherish views and wishes outside his vision.
"Robert Moses in his prime would have pretty much ignored all those players and done as he wished. Nobody would defend that today. But more than a few New Yorkers are asking if there is something halfway between a willful master builder and decision (or indecision) by committee."

26

Yes, this is another one with Don Trump.
The joint 50-50 ownership of the ex-General Motors Building on Fifth Avenue is crumbling three years after the $878 million purchase:
"But the deal started to go sour after [CEO] Mr. Hilbert got tossed out of Conseco in 2000 when the company nearly collapsed under a mountain of debt. The new management team wanted cash, lots of it. Conseco negotiated for more than a year to sell its stake to Mr. Trump for $295 million before the deal finally fell apart."
The disparity of the owners' investments in the building is evident in the demand that Conseco gave Trump in January:
"Conseco notified Mr. Trump in January that he had until the Ides of March to buy out the company for $500 million (and take over, or refinance, a $700 million mortgage), or they would purchase his stake for $15.6 million."
After the office space market collapsed post-9/11, financing of such magnitude was almost impossible, even though Trump had got before that as much as $135 a square foot for office space. Trump now accuses Conseco of delaying the $295 million deal in order to get more money for their stake. Conseco, on the other hand, had refused to accept the collateral of Trump's financing through Deutsche Bank already in July 2001.
Both have incentives to go to the courtroom:
"If Mr. Trump wins his legal challenge to Conseco, he figures he will get the trophy at a discount, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. If Conseco wins, its chairman, Gary Wendt, and the insurance company say they will shed their partner, now unwanted, and gain even more money to put into a company that is still in desperate need of cash to pay off debts."
The value of the building has now in any case fallen notably from the high-rent days:
"Mr. Trump and Conseco put the value of the G.M. Building at about $1.2 billion, far more than most executives believe it is worth today. It is a valuable property, they say, but rents are down, not up, and the Midtown vacancy rate is near double-digits., and more than 40 percent of the tower is under long-term lease at below-market rents."

27

Donald once more. This time troubled by the Byzantine ownership wrangles of the Empire State Building, the once-more tallest in NYC.
"Peter L. Malkin, who leads a partnership that holds the master lease for the entire building, signed a contract to buy the 102-story tower for $57.5 million, real estate executives said. The deal is expected to close in early May, effectively buying out Mr. Trump and his Japanese partner."
The complex ownership of the building is divided into the building proper ("title"), the long-term (master) lease of it and an operating sublease. The holding partnerships of both the long-term lease and operating sublease have Malkin as an investor.
"With the contract, Mr. Malkin's partnership, known as Empire State Building Associates, will merge the lease and the title to the skyscraper for the first time since 1961."
Before the deal the title was held by the Trump Empire State Partners, led by Donald Trump and the daughter and son-in-law of Hideki Yokoi, the Japanese businessman who in 1991 gained the ownership of the building for $42 million. (Yokoi had to make a secret bid through a middleman due to a prison stint and lost reputation after a fire at one of his Tokyo hotels had killed 33...) The Empire State Building Associates' bid was then $32 million.
"It was not a lucrative deal for Mr. Yokoi [...] who brokered the transaction with Mr. Trump. Mr. Yokoi later accused her [daughter] of trying to steal the skyscraper from him. [The tumultous dispute was finally solved in 1999.] Under the terms of the 1961 lease, Mr. Yokoi's company has been getting only $1.97 million a year in rent, a sum that drops to $1.7 million in 2013."
The operating sublease is currently held by Malkin and the infamous Leona Helmsley, the widow of one of the original buyers of the building in 1961, real estate tycoon Harry Helmsley. After trying for four years unsuccessfully gain the control of the lease in court, Trump Empire State Partners finally put the building title on sale.
"Last year, the Japanese company and Mr. Trump announced that they would review offers for the tower. Several companies bid, but Mr. Malkin's partnership made the highest offer. According to executives, the Malkin group obtained a mortgage from North Fork Bank."
Although Trump claims to be gaining $15 million, the truth must be a bit more modest:
"Under the original terms of his partnership, Mr. Trump was to get half of the sale price above $45 million, which would be $6.25 million."

28

A double feature involving -- who else but -- Trump.
Trump has been forced to continue the selling of his own, high-ceilinged (6 meters), 1,860 m² duplex atop the Trump World Tower, after a substantial offer wasn't forthcoming:
"Cem Uzan [...] a member of the Turkish family that owns the Telsim telecommunications group, was prepared to pay $38 million for the penthouse (that price would have topped the most ever paid for a Manhattan apartment: $37.5 million). Alas, the once high-flying Uzan defaulted on his contract and lost his $8 million deposit."
Trump's asking price of $58 million -- more than the abovementioned $57.5 for the Empire State Building -- has not so far been met...

29

In the lack of other "vignettes" (the debt clock reopening wasn't an event enough), it's back to the always reliable one:
"The US boasts many real estate tycoons - from New York's Jerry Speyer to Chicago's Sam Zell to San Francisco's Walter Shorenstein. But there is only one mogul who has found a way to make money on properties without building, owning, managing or even investing in them."
I'm sure you already know who it is (and how easy it is to make money when you have The Touch):
"Donald Trump is not only a prolific developer but he is also a celebrity endorser, paid to put his name on other people's buildings."
Such developments profiting (along with Don himself) from the Trump "brand" include the Florida developers Dezer's condo buildings and hotels in Miami, like the modestly-named "Trump Grande Ocean Resort and Residences", and the 41-storey twin luxury towers "Daewoo Trump World" in Seoul, South Korea. Europe is also a potential target.
"For his name, and his advice, Mr Trump demands a percentage of the building's profits and sometimes a flat fee. His take can reach into the 'tens of millions', he said. 'I only put my name on places that are going to be great (and) we have a lot to do with the design of the building, the look of it.'"
The luxury draw of the name can have very concrete financial advantages, and not only for Trump who, for example, gets 45 percent of profits over the investment payback from the Trump Place and 50 percent, depending on the outcome of the operations, for his $6.5 million investment on the Trump World Tower:
"'The name has brought tremendous value... because it connotes high quality and great location.' [...] 'He has established that Trump means luxury and you know what you get,' said Barbara Corcoran, chairman of one of New York's largest residential real estate agencies. The cache of Mr Trump's name is quantifiable. In the late 1990s Ms Corcoran was asked to estimate the value of the Gulf & Western building, which Mr Trump, Daniel Galbreath and the GE Pension Trust were negotiating to buy and recreate as a residential and hotel property. 'I was asked to calculate the sale value with the Trump name and without, and it landed somewhere close to a 20 per cent difference,' she said. 'There was no way GE could have considered going in with anyone but Donald.'"
With Trump's namesake buildings all over Midtown, the first one interestingly almost got a rather more effeminate epithet:
"'I was originally going to call it the Tiffany Tower' for the famous jewellery store next door, [Trump] said. 'But I asked my friend "Do you think it should be Trump Tower or Tiffany Tower?" And he said, "When you change your name to Tiffany, call it Tiffany Tower."'"
With the overseas, Miami, Atlantic City, Gary, Ind. projects, as well as the planned Trump Tower Chicago, the name has been spread outside the confines of NYC, where it may even flourish better:
"'Outside New York, the Trump name says luxury and sex appeal,' Ms Corcoran said. 'In New York, it says flashy, and flashy isn't for everyone.'"

30

This is getting boring, but what else can you do when The Man provides all the best material...
In a brawl which, at least figuratively, pits the penthouse occupant Conan O'Brien against Donald Trump, the residents in the West 72nd St. apartment building the Chatsworth are battling to get a change to the building permit that allows the latest addition to Trump's Trump Place to be built cheek to jowl with it.
"If Mr. Trump has his way, his latest condominium tower at Trump Place will cantilever over the 36-inch strip and block the unobstructed views of the Hudson from the Chatsworth's 350 or so west-facing windows. More important, the tenants say, a portion of the 31-story Trump tower will come as close as three inches from 102 windows of the 12-story Chatsworth, blocking all light and air from 82 rooms and rendering them uninhabitable."
In addition to making much of the external fire escape on the wall unusable, the construction is also feared to affect the foundations of the Chatsworth, completed in 1904 as a luxury apartment hotel and later landmarked.
"After years of community opposition and lawsuits, Mr. Trump obtained