Deutsche Bank Building - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Deutsche Bank Building was a skyscraper

Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

at 130 Liberty Street in New York City, United States, adjacent to the World Trade Center

World Trade Center

The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...

(WTC). Opened in 1974 as Bankers Trust Plaza, the building was acquired by Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...

when it acquired Bankers Trust

Bankers Trust

Bankers Trust was an historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1998.-History:A consortium of banks created Bankers Trust to perform trust company services for their clients....

in 1998. It was part of the skyline of Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...

. The Deutsche Bank Building was heavily damaged in the September 11, 2001 attacks

September 11, 2001 attacks

The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

after being blasted by the avalanche of debris, ash, dust and smoke that spread from WTC. World Trade Center Tower 5 will eventually replace the building since deconstruction is finished, expanding the ground space on which the World Trade Center stands, as this land was not part of the original World Trade Center.

After several lengthy delays, it was announced on October 8, 2009 that deconstruction of the building would finally resume, and by year's end the deconstruction was reinitiated. As of January 20, 2011, the structure has been completely dismantled. In February 2011, the foundation of the former building was dismantled, finally paving the way for the construction of 5 World Trade Center.

The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon

Shreve, Lamb and Harmon

Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon was the architectural firm best known for the 1931 Empire State Building, the tallest building in New York, and the world, at that time....

which also designed the Empire State Building

Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...

and Peterson & Brickbauer.

Damage

The collapse of 2 World Trade Center

World Trade Center

during the September 11 attacks tore a 24-story gash into the facade of the Deutsche Bank Building and destroyed the entire interior of the structure. Steel and concrete were sticking out of the building for months afterward. This was eventually cleaned up, but due to extensive contamination it was decided that the 41 story ruin was to be taken down. After the 9/11 attacks, netting was placed around the remains of the building. The bank maintained that the building could not be restored to habitable condition, while its insurers sought to treat the incident as recoverable damage rather than a total loss. Work on the building was deferred for over two years during which the condition of the building deteriorated.

Remains

In September 2005 human remains were found on the roof. In March 2006, construction workers who were removing toxic waste from the building before deconstruction found more bone fragments and remains. This prompted calls from victims' family members for another search of the building by forensic experts. In 2006, between April 7 to April 14, more than 300 human bone fragments were discovered in the ballast gravel on the roof. Workers sifted through the gravel to find more remains.

Deconstruction

The cost of this deconstruction has steadily increased to $75 million by the Bovis Lend Lease construction company as large amounts of toxic dust associated with the collapse of the World Trade Center, asbestos, dioxin, lead, silica, quartz, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chromium and manganese have been found in the building.

On February 27, 2004, an agreement was announced to settle the disposition of the building and insurance claims. Later that year as part of this agreement, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was formed in July 2002, after the September 11 attacks to plan the reconstruction of Lower Manhattan and distribute nearly $10 billion in federal funds aimed at rebuilding downtown Manhattan....

acquired the land and commenced its deconstruction.

An Associated Press December 7, 2006 report indicated that the building would be dismantled. The report indicated that area residents were fearful of possibly toxic dust associated with the two towers' collapses within the building.

Deconstruction began in March 2007. However, due to a fire on August 18, 2007, work was suspended. A city stop-work order was lifted in April 2008 and decontamination work began again in May of the same year.

Deconstruction was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008, and later by the end of 2010. In October 2009, it was announced that deconstruction of the building would finally resume.

Delays in taking down the Deutsche Bank at Ground Zero have forced the Port Authority to roll back the expected completion date of a crucial vehicle-security center by a year, to 2013.
Repeated delays at Deutsche Bank had added roughly $100 million to the cost of rebuilding the World Trade Center.

Deconstruction of the building finished, for the most part, on January 20, 2011. The basement was deconstructed in February 2011. It was the last part of the building to be taken apart.

May 2007 incident

On May 17, 2007, work was halted after a 22-foot section of pipe being cut by workers fell 35 stories and through the roof of "The Ten House", home to Engine 10 and Ladder 10 of the Fire Department of New York

New York City Fire Department

The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...

. Two firefighters were injured by the original falling debris, although they were not struck by the pipe itself.

August 2007 fire

On August 18, 2007 at approximately 3:40pm, a seven-alarm fire broke out on the 17th floor of the building, caused by workers smoking, carelessly and in violation of the building's safety rules. By this time, the skyscraper, once 41 stories, had been reduced to 26, with crews removing a floor a week. At the time of the fire, crews were removing asbestos. The fire spread in both directions, affecting a total of 10 floors. The floors were filled with a maze of protective polyethylene sheets which were designed to prevent the spread of asbestos, but which also trapped smoke making fighting the fire extremely difficult. Firefighting was additionally hampered as the building did not have a functioning standpipe, forcing firefighters to raise hoses up from the street to combat the flames. The building had not been inspected since March, when it should have been inspected every 15 days. The fire burned into the night before being extinguished. The fire killed two firefighters, Joseph Graffagnino, 33, of Brooklyn, and Robert Beddia, 53, of Staten Island, who succumbed on the 14th floor to smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning, and injured 115 firefighters, 46 seriously enough to require medical leave. Plans to deconstruct the building continued as quickly as possible.
In 2008, the Manhattan District Attorney indicted three construction supervisors and the demolition subcontractor, the John Galt Corporation

John Galt Corporation

The John Galt Corporation is a company based in New York City, named for the character from Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. Three of the company's construction supervisors are currently on trial for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide as a result of the deaths of two firefighters in a...

Completion

Demolition of the former Deutsche Bank Building finished on January 20, 2011 with the removal of the crane. Deconstruction of the first floor and the foundation was finished on February 28, 2011. The Port Authority has taken over the site, which will eventually be used as a staging area for vehicle security sweeps, and to finally build Five World Trade Center if the proposed building finds approval.

Future of the 130 Liberty Street site

Negotiations over the World Trade Center site

World Trade Center site

The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...

concluded in April 2006 with private developer Larry Silverstein

Larry Silverstein

Larry A. Silverstein is an American businessman, and real estate investor and developer in New York City.Silverstein was born in Brooklyn, and became involved in real estate, together with his father, establishing Silverstein Properties...

yielding his right to develop on the site designated for Tower Five to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...

in exchange for assistance in financing Towers Two, Three, and Four. Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg

Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...

later claimed there wasn't enough demand for office space to fill the five towers included in the World Trade Center's master plan and called for a major revision of the plan to include housing and hotels. But the demand for Manhattan office space, including downtown, has boomed since 2006, and January 16, 2007, financial giant JPMorgan Chase was in talks with the Port Authority about developing the new 5 World Trade Center skyscraper into a corporate tower, which would prevent Mayor Bloomberg's push to use the site for housing.

Several sources familiar with JPMorgan Chase's talks with state and Port Authority officials said the firm's bid to develop the proposed 57-story tower for major corporate tenants is being taken seriously by the bistate agency. In fact, sources said, JPMorgan Chase is not the only corporate bidder for the site.

To make the commercial deal work, the Port Authority would have to agree to expand the size of Tower 5's base in order to accommodate the large, lower-level floors needed for trading room

Trading room

A trading-room gathers traders operating on financial markets.The trading-room is also often called the front office.The terms dealing-room and trading-floor are also used, the latter being inspired from that of a open outcry stock exchange....

s, a requirement for most large financial-services firms.

On June 14, 2007, Bloomberg and then-Governor Eliot Spitzer

Eliot Spitzer

Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...

announced that JPMorgan Chase had won the bid to buy and build the new tower at 130 Liberty Street to replace the Deutsche Bank Building.

However, after the acquisition of Bear Stearns

Bear Stearns

The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. based in New York City, was a global investment bank and securities trading and brokerage, until its sale to JPMorgan Chase in 2008 during the global financial crisis and recession...

by JPMorgan Chase in March 2008, the future of 130 Liberty Street has been put into question as JPMorgan Chase has announced that it intends to move into Bear Stearns' old headquarters at 383 Madison Avenue

383 Madison Avenue

383 Madison Avenue is an office building in New York City located on Madison Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets and owned by JP Morgan Chase. Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, it is 755 ft tall with 47 floors. It was completed in 2001 and opened in 2002, at...

. If JPMorgan Chase does not renew their bid, the site would likely be used for a residential tower, as per Bloomberg's plan prior to JPMorgan Chase's bid. Recently community and civic leaders met to discuss the site's future with community leaders favoring a hotel or residential development and outgoing deputy mayor Robert Lieber favoring an office tower.

External links

Official announcement
Official Website
Animation of its deconstruction
Wired NY
WCBS TV Ch 2
CNN
in-Arch.net description
JPMorgan Chase wins bid for 130 Liberty Street tower
CBS News - Fire breaks out at abandoned Deutsche Bank Building at Ground Zero (Video)
Smoke Over Lower Manhattan
Obscure Company Is Behind 9/11 Demolition Work
Bloomberg's Biggest Scandal—The Deutsche Bank Fire—Should Be His Downfall. Why Isn't It? by Wayne Barrett
Wayne Barrett
Wayne Barrett is an American journalist. He was an investigative reporter and senior editor for the Village Voice for over 20 years. He is currently a fellow with the Nation Institute and contributor to Newsweek....

for the Village Voice July 21, 2009

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