New York Times Tower - 620 Eighth Avenue

[TREPYE]

Curbed is reporting that major ice chunks are falling from the Times Tower (http://curbed.com/archives/2007/12/14/busted_piano.php#reader_comments)

Here's my question: are the rods ice magnets, as there's more "hanging" area?


This happens with any elaborate facade, not just rods. I remember somebody telling about a time they went to Montreal and they had to avoid ice falling from the beaux-arts facades.

[panderson]

When I walked by the Times building today (Fri, Dec. 14) at approx. 11:30am the sidewalks were closed off with red tape and barricades on both the 40th and 41st Street sides -- only the Eighth Ave. entrance was open. I saw a couple of decent-size ice chunks come tumbling down.

[stache]

Not pretty.

[Skylimitone]

Here's a cool video about whats at the top of the NYT Tower: http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=89e0be98f8bd31ddd258c168016584a37db4e217

[DarrylStrawberry]

From Architectural Record...

Times Tower's Cracked Windows Investigated
January 11, 2008




By Jack Buehrer
The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) is expected to send inspectors to the recently completed New York Times headquarters building today to determine what caused seven windows in the Renzo Piano and FXFowle-designed tower to crack on Wednesday afternoon.
The windows were located on the building’s 22nd, 10th, and sixth floors of the building, according to the DOB. Two of the 52-story tower’s signature ceramic rods on the exterior of the 40th and 38th floors were also damaged.
“Our engineers believe (Wednesday’s) high winds were a contributing factor (to the damage),” says DOB spokesperson Kate Lindquist. “But they are exploring all possible causes to determine what went wrong.”
A spokesperson for the Times, who would only confirm that one window had been broken, says she is “fairly certain” the crack was not related to the wind. She adds that authorities were called immediately and the window was repaired.
According to Lindquist, the tower’s general contractor, AMEC Construction Management, is making arrangements to repair the windows and the ceramic rods.
Messages left with AMEC and Piano’s Paris offices were not immediately returned.
Wednesday’s incident was the second involving broken windows at the Times’s new offices in as many months. On December 4, a man was injured after reportedly being struck by glass from a broken window on the 17th floor. Wind gusts of up to 40 mph were blamed for that incident.
The ceramic rods also have been a source of controversy for the building, which was completed in July. On December 14, ice that formed on the horizontal rods, which encase the predominantly glass and steel structure, fell and created an “ice shower” that temporarily shut down the adjacent sidewalks.
A version of this story first appeared on McGraw-Hill’s enr.com (http://www.enr.com/).

[BrooklynRider]

Seven windows cracked and they suspect "high-wind"?

C'mon.:rolleyes:

[lofter1]

Just after the building became occupied (but before it officially "opened") I was in the lobby one day when a security guy noticed that a window over the revolving doors facing W. 40th had cracked -- a big one all the way across the pane. Maybe something to do with the stress? If panes continue to crack I'd hate to think what that might mean ...

[ablarc]

Disaster a-brewin' ?

[antinimby]

Nothing that additional millions of dollars (that the Times can ill afford right now) of rework can't fix.

Another Citicorp tower?

[kliq6]

Good luck getting AMEC to answer the phone. This was there last job in the US and all of that team has been let go once the job was done.

[macreator]

Uh oh...

[panderson]

This story from ENR.com includes a couple videos worth watching. The second one, in particular. Some pretty alarming footage of ice falling last month.
http://enr.construction.com/news/buildings/archives/080110.asp

[infoshare]

..... in particular. Some pretty alarming footage of ice falling last month.
http://enr.construction.com/news/buildings/archives/080110.asp

Good find, thanks for posting the link. I did see the the video about the broken glass somewhere; but not the footage on the falling ice.

The times' building will probably have to close the sidewalks whenever there are ice storms - fortunately that is not too often.

Thanks again, cheers.

[antinimby]

In addition to Muji, there will be a Dean & DeLuca and also Inakaya, a Japanese eatery. That's three out of the four available retail spaces taken already.


Looks like today they have signed their fourth retail tenant. The press release from FCRC via eater.com (http://eater.com/archives/2008/01/first_word_mont.php):


Forest City Ratner Signs One of the City’s Best Known Italian Restaurants for The New York Times BuildingMontenapo by Bice Will Bring A Taste of Milan To Eighth Avenue NEW YORK – Thursday, January 17, 2008—Forest City Ratner Companies announced that a new ‘concept’ restaurant has signed a lease for retail space in The New York Times Building at 620 Eighth Avenue near Times Square. Bice, which is among the busiest, best-known, and highly-regarded Italian restaurants in New York, will lease approximately 5,274 square feet at street level to open a full-service restaurant called Montenapo.The new restaurant, located in space just next to the building’s 41st Street entrance, will feature a casually elegant atmosphere and serve Northern Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner. With the Montenapo signing, Forest City Ratner has successfully leased four of the five retail units in The New York Times Building.The other retail tenants are Muji, the innovative Japanese purveyor of simple, distinctive housewares, furniture, and clothing; a 60-seat Dean & DeLuca café, its seventh in New York; and Inakaya, a “robatayaki”-style Japanese restaurant known for its grilling. Office space in the 52-story tower is now more than 90 percent leased.Bruce Ratner, chairman and CEO of Forest City Ratner, said, “I’m very pleased that Bice, a genuine New York City food destination, would choose The New York Times Building to premiere Montenapo, its new marquee restaurant. With the addition of this distinctive restaurant, The Times Building offers a terrific range of dining choices for the thousands of employees who work in the building as well as all New Yorkers and visitors.”Roberto Ruggeri, founder and CEO of the Bice Restaurant Group said, “To be associated with a Renzo Piano building, in the heart of the Times Square district, is a dream for me. Montenapo will bring the best of Milan into the extraordinary New York Times building.” Montenapo, which is expected to open in late summer, 2008, will overlook the unique birch and moss garden at the heart of The New York Times Building’s lobby.The restaurant was represented in lease negotiations by Elizabeth Hazan of World of Concepts. The Bice Restaurant Group, which began in 1926 as a neighborhood trattoria in Milan, now has more than 40 restaurants around the world, stretching from New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Palm Beach, to such exotic locations as Monte Carlo, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, The New York Times Building celebrated its grand opening in November 2007, and is now home to a dozen diverse corporate tenants.The building, which is located between 40th and 41st Streets on Eighth Avenue, is topped by a 300-foot steel rooftop mast bringing its height to 1,046 feet. The 1.5-million-gross-square-foot New York Times Building is owned jointly, as condominiums, by The New York Times Company and Forest City Ratner Companies. The Times Company owns floors 2 through 27 and Forest City Ratner owns floors 29 through 50 and floor 52, as well as 21,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Floors 28 and 51 are jointly owned by The Times Company and Forest City.

[BrooklynRider]

Bice is a nice place with good food. This will be a nice addition. There ain't much finer dining in that area.

[alonzo-ny]

This tower is class all the way.

[TREPYE]

Its been a few months since it has been officially opened and yet it has not been fully lit up yet. This was supposed to be one of the most exiting aspects of this tower and it has yet to come to fruition. The east side, cross bracings and the mast are faintly lit up and hard to notice from a distance. If they are going to light up the rest of the building as weakly as the aforementioned elements have been lit up so far then it will end up being a disappointment.



Renzo Piano Will Light Up Our Lives

Tuesday, October 2, 2007, by Pete



http://curbed.com/uploads/2007_10_TimesLights7.JPG
OVI's lighting scheme for the exterior of the Times Tower.
http://curbed.com/uploads/2007_10_TimesLights3.JPG
Lighting instruments have already been installed way up high at the SW corner.



http://curbed.com/uploads/2007_10_TimesLights6.JPG
Luminaires lined up and ready to throw some light on the south facade.

[lofter1]

I walked by the Times Tower the other day and saw that there are still a lot of unconnected wires hanging here and there, plus lots of new lighting instruments have been added in the past few weeks.

Could be the lighting is behind schedule because they've had some other "issues" to deal with over at the Times Tower.

[tmac9wr]

Are those lights at the base and up on the building staying that bright yellow color, or are there going to be silver covers for them? They seem so out of place in their current state.

[lofter1]

Yellow they shall be ...



Here's how the OVI website (http://www.oviinc.com/projects/New_York_Times/) describes it: A series of luminaire’s painted ‘taxi’ yellow mounted in custom

mounting configurations ‘animate’ the pedestrian street level and

highlight the cross cables of the tower like a vertical bridge.

[antinimby]

The last available retail space has now been taken. Four are establishments serving food (Dean & DeLuca, Inakaya, Montenapo, Hale and Hearty Soup) and the fifth is a Japanese goods store (Muji).

From eater.com (http://eater.com/archives/2008/01/first_word_5.php):

Thursday, January 31, 2008

"Andrew and Jonathan Schnipper, the brothers who founded New York’s innovative Hale and Hearty Soup chain, have leased 3,200 square feet at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 41st Street for their first new 'concept' restaurant, an updated version of a classic roadside eatery serving burgers, salads and other American favorites in a fast casual, relaxed setting. The 20-year lease also includes 1,000 square feet of outdoor seating."

That building, by the way, is the new New York Times headquarters, whose final restaurant lineup now reads as follows: Montenapo, casual Italian from the Bice Restaurant Group; Inakaya, the 'robatayaki'-style Japanese restaurant; a 60-seat Dean & DeLuca Café; and, er, the roadhouse.

[MidtownGuy]

:)Tremendous news that they have leased to eating establishments. Even better ...outdoor tables are mentioned!
An addition to NYC streetlife instead of food removal and sterilization by bank branch... BRAVO.
After all, what really matters to my daily life is what happens down at street level.

[alonzo-ny]

Viola! Good development finally.

[londonlawyer]

:)Tremendous news that they have leased to eating establishments. Even better ...outdoor tables are mentioned!....

I don't know who will want to eat outside considering the area's infestation with mentally deraged, filthy, diseased beggars from the PA -- not to mention noise and pollution from 8th Ave. Outdoor seating is nice in the West Village, but not here.

[kliq6]

agreed not the place id want to picnic outside if I had a choice!

[MidtownGuy]

The area is changing, and fast.
If they design the seating area correctly there will be plenty of demand for those outdoor tables. It's a good thing, guys.

[londonlawyer]

Good point.

[nykid17]

http://www.nyc-architecture.com/MID/mid-nyt18.jpg


Idk if anyone has ever took a look at this, but i think this is ultimately what the outcome of the exterior lighting affects will bring.

[DarrylStrawberry]

http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2008/04/17/blink-times-building-just-depreciated-1/

Blink… Times building just depreciated $1 (http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2008/04/17/blink-times-building-just-depreciated-1/)

Posted by: Paul Thomasch (http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/author/paulthomasch/)

The New York Times’ fancy new building on 8th Avenue comes at a cost.

First there was the falling glass and other debris, then there was that annoying issue of mice (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0322423520070704) making a home in the skyscraper.

But how’s this for a cost? The New York Times headquarters building is likely to depreciate at a rate of $8 million per quarter, according to its latest earnings release (http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUSN1737787120080417).


What’s $8 million per quarter? Here’s our rough breakdown:
$2.67 million per month
$88,889 per day
$3,704 per hour
$62 per minute
$1.03 per secondIn other words, the building lost $30 — give or take — while you were reading this post.

[v70cat]

http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2008/04/17/blink-times-building-just-depreciated-1/

Blink… Times building just depreciated $1 (http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2008/04/17/blink-times-building-just-depreciated-1/)

Posted by: Paul Thomasch (http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/author/paulthomasch/)

The New York Times’ fancy new building on 8th Avenue comes at a cost.

First there was the falling glass and other debris, then there was that annoying issue of mice (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0322423520070704) making a home in the skyscraper.

But how’s this for a cost? The New York Times headquarters building is likely to depreciate at a rate of $8 million per quarter, according to its latest earnings release (http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUSN1737787120080417).


What’s $8 million per quarter? Here’s our rough breakdown:
$2.67 million per month
$88,889 per day
$3,704 per hour
$62 per minute
$1.03 per secondIn other words, the building lost $30 — give or take — while you were reading this post.

I think you mixing the companies earning loss with the building depreciation? Not sure how that the two are related?

[antinimby]

Real estate (especially completely new, Class A office) in Manhattan depreciating?

Not a chance.

[James Kovata]

I believe the depreciation relates to the depreciation of the building for TAX purposes, i.e., deducting the cost of the building over time. The building is not losing value.

[BrooklynLove]

stupid article - so much so, even surprising for the times.

[Optimus Prime]

Hilariously stupid, in fact. How do you even write something like that? And how does an editor approve it?

[BrooklynLove]

unfortunately editors are sometimes afflicted in the same manner as writers

[v70cat]

Hilariously stupid, in fact. How do you even write something like that? And how does an editor approve it?

I agree!

[lofter1]

stupid article - so much so, even surprising for the times.
The original article didn't come out of The Times ...

Reuters printed the financial article and then some blogger turned it into the bit of fiscal stupidity we're now discussing.

[Optimus Prime]

^ I read "the times" to mean "these days," but perhaps I give BL too much credit? ;)

[BrooklynLove]

my bad - sloppy reading on my part. nice to know that NYT wasn't responsible for this toilet paper worthy reporting.

[brianac]

Welcome to the Times Tower, Goodwin Procter!

by John Koblin (http://www.observer.com/john-koblin) | April 25, 2008

http://origin.observer.com/files/imagecache/article/files/042808_times_web.jpg wallyg via flickr.com

The Post's Keith Kelly hears that (http://www.nypost.com/seven/04252008/business/the_worst_of_times_108073.htm) 70 Times staffers are going to take buyouts, which means that about 30 are on the chopping block and it'll be Joe Sexton's Metro team that'll take the brunt of the hit.

There's no good news out of that, but it will thin the crowd for what is about to become a more crowded cafeteria in the Times Building. The law firm Goodwin Procter is moving into the Times building next week, and according to a memo, will start sharing the turkey line with Times employees.
The memo:
As you may be aware, our tenant, the national law firm Goodwin Procter, is moving in on April 28th. Goodwin will occupy floors 23 thru 27 within our space and floors 29 and 30 in the Forest City Ratner (FCRC) space. They will bring approximately 500 employees to the building.
Goodwin’s employees and their visitors will have access to the cafeteria and the 15th floor conference center. As a result we will be putting back into service a passenger elevator car that had been used for our construction related needs for the last year.
We look forward to welcoming Goodwin Procter.

Best Regards,
Building Operations

http://www.observer.com/2008/welcome-times-tower-goodwin-procter

© 2008 Observer Media Group,

[Derek2k3]

A few views from the tower.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2460033529_ef57157ce0_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2344/2460862536_2a8363d844_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2177/2460857276_d0999ae450_b.jpg
mborowick (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattborowick/2460862536/in/photostream/)

[lbjefferies]

/\ /\ (whistles)

[GVNY]

My goodness, that photograph is certainly one of the best I have ever seen of the Empire State Building.

Top something...maybe 3?

Quite a handsome building and picture.

[Daquan13]

Is the building open for business now?

[antinimby]

Funny.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Muji Times Square Countdown: Only Eight and Three-Quarters Days To Go

by Dana Rubinstein | May 21, 2008

Only eight days, 21 hours and counting (but who's counting?) until MUJI opens a store in the Renzo Piano-designed headquarters of The New York Times. For those not inclined to count, that's noon on May 30.

This, the second New York location for the Japanese Mecca for "no-brand quality goods," will fill 4,350 square feet on the ground-floor of the tower on Eighth Avenue and 40th Street. MUJI opened its first New York store, at 455 Broadway, in November.

The store will carry 1,750 household items -- including, presumably, those rad cardboard speakers -- and 420 items of clothes.

© 2008 Observer Media Group

[The Benniest]

Derek, I can't believe I never saw your pictures. They are absolutely brilliant! :eek: The picture of the ESB is one of the best.

Thanks!
Ben

[antinimby]

The Muji opening is definitely good news.

Seeing the corner spaces of the Times building empty and dark does not look very good.

[lofter1]

Derek: Great shots. Taken when?

Note that neither 785 Eighth or the Sky House condo are up in those pics.

[kz1000ps]

Some more lobby shots:

http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/553/img7823hn3.jpg

http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/1441/img7825nk7.jpg

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/4711/img7827zb8.jpg

http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/2664/img7830gi8.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2086/img7831pv0.jpg

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8413/img7829ih3.jpg

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3882/img7833rw3.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6567/img7832qp5.jpg

[stache]

Great shade of red!

[The Benniest]

This is a very cool lobby for the Times' building.

Very modern and I agree with stache, nice shades of color.

[NYC4Life]

Not the best looking tower in Midtown, but it started the construction boom taking place on 8th avenue and surrounding area.

[ablarc]

Lobby is pretty, but that floor won't last long.

[Jasonik]

It's not http://www.global.pergo.com/images/pergo_site/logo_pergo.gif ?

[antinimby]

Some pics from racked.com (http://racked.com/archives/2008/05/30/muji_midtown_full_reveal.php) of the Muji Grand Opening today.

First, the pre-opening pics, then later the opening and the crowds...

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2302/2536638092_ff49c68343_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2120/2535822385_7ddc5ffb2d_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3002/2536638290_2325c9e3f6_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3097/2536638364_ccb1b69a82_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2213/2535822577_3fbc30bac7_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2300/2536638206_7473cbc117_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2154/2535822527_a6a84f9bde_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2199/2536767568_edd015f0dc_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2299/2535950295_f32f935bce_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3022/2535950223_07fbae3a91_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3106/2535930883_70a7d30a11_o.jpg
Gift bags

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3172/2536767796_6b6c7cb12b_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3132/2536990602_46cf6dfa34_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3052/2536989952_4e4d43cc57_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2366/2536167155_4cdb2999e5_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2100/2536989584_123a2c21a6_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2260/2536170351_ceaa39d75a_o.jpg

[alonzo-ny]

I just walked past the building an hour ago! How did i not realise!! Also it looked great as i was walking up 8th, crown looking shimmering.

[antinimby]

You missed out on the free giftbags.

[lofter1]

This NYT MUJI store is really aggravating -- it has lots of interior glass divisions creating enclosed areas for various sections of items, but hardly space for two people to pass in the aisles. Plus through the glass partitions you can see something you'd like a closer look at but then have to mavigate a maze to try and get close. :mad:

The SoHo MUJI store on Broadway / Grand is much more shopper-friendly. same items, better use of space.

[antinimby]

This is the U.S. flagship store. They had to up the shopping experience a notch or two by making it more challenging and different than their other stores. ;)

[The Benniest]

Ugh. I hate stores like that where you have to navigate through a maze to get to something that you spotted through glass. And, and this may only be my personal experience, but depending on how clean that glass, you may run into it which is very uncomfortable. Oops! :o

Ben

[lofter1]

Unfortunately for me, when I was there this afternoon the glass was very clean :o

[The Benniest]

Did you run into it? Haha!

At the Apple Store in Des Moines, IA, they have a special section of the mall that only for Apple, and I ran right into the glass doors while walking in. And yes ... it hurt. :p

Ben

[stache]

I've broken a couple pair of glasses that way... :o

[Eugenious]

French nutjob climbs the NYT building...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RC40Khx2WQ

[JCMAN320]

I guess those bars weren't too weak after all lol. ;)

[kliq6]

When is that from?

[JCMAN320]

This afternoon it was on channel 7 at noon.

[Daquan13]

I wonder if that was Phillipe, the one who once tightroped between the Twins in '74.

[The Benniest]

This reminds of the man who attempted to parachute off the Empire State Building. :confused:

[ManhattanKnight]

The French aerialist (who was not Philippe Petit--now 58-years-young) climbed the rods on the north face, like the rungs on a ladder, and surrendered to cops awaiting him on the roof. The last moments of the adventure were broadcast live on WABC-TV and ended around 12:30 PM.

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/2923/uprodsar1.jpg

[alonzo-ny]

Least hard stunt ever.

[The Benniest]

More photos of the "event" on FOX News:

http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,4144,00.html#1_0

[ManhattanKnight]

I predicted this quite some time ago but, sadly, no one paid any attention. My fate in life. :( http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=138441&postcount=2105

[Jasonik]

Video and full coverage (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/man-scales-new-york-times-building/) of Alain Robert climbing Times building.

[Stern]

It was inevitable.

As is the cheasy NYTIMES headline tomorrow about the event.

[lofter1]

The TIMES has good coverage of the episode in its on-line City Room (with a nod to Jasonik) ...

Man Scales Times Building and Is Arrested

NY TIMES (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/man-scales-new-york-times-building/)
By Sewell Chan (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/author/schan/)
June 5, 2008

Updated, 2:12 p.m.

Alain Robert, a French stuntman known for climbing tall buildings, scaled the north face of the New York Times building (http://newyorktimesbuilding.com/) on Thursday, ascending 52 stories to the roof and clutching a bright green banner, before police officers arrested him around 12:22 p.m.

Police and security officials cordoned off the sidewalk below, on West 41st Street, as a crowd assembled. The words on the banner were illegible from the sidewalk, but from office windows inside the tower the slogan on the banner could be clearly read: “Global warming kills more people than 9/11 every week.”

The man later confirmed, moments after being arrested on the roof of the tower, that he was Alain Robert (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/alain_robert/index.html), a 46-year-old stuntman famous for scaling structures (http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/jailing-your-friendly-neighborhood-spider-man/) like the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the Sydney Opera House in Australia and the Eiffel Tower and Montparnasse Tower in Paris. He wore a T-shirt with his name and the address of a Web site (thesolutionissimple.org (http://thesolutionissimple.org/)), exercise pants and climbing shoes. He had long blond hair. He used no rope, harness or parachute.

Police officers blocked off the sidewalk at the base of the building and asked members of the crowd to move along. Construction workers on a building directly across West 41st Street, facing the northern face of the building, looked on with expressions of astonishment and amusement. A crowd gathered on the sidewalk, pointing, gawking and capturing pictures and images with cellphones, digital cameras and video cameras.

“This is a publicity stunt, it looks like,” Janet L. Robinson, the chief executive of The New York Times Company, said as she entered the building. “There is definitely going to be an arrest.”

Wearing a backpack slung over one shoulder, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/arthur_ochs_sulzberger/index.html), the chairman of The Times Company and publisher of The Times, who is himself an avid climber, ducked under the police tape and examined the spectacle. He declined to comment.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/alainrobert-533.jpg
(Photo: Sewell Chan/The New York Times)
Alain Robert, a stuntman, climbed the 52-story New York Times building on Thursday before
he was arrested. His banner read, “Global warming kills more people than 9/11 every week.”

Inside the building, reporters and editors pressed their faces to the glass windows to catch a glimpse of the climber. He weaved in and out of the ceramic rod facade, seeming to rest on the building’s exterior beams every few floors before swinging himself back out the face of the rods to resume his climb. He stopped occasionally to wave to the crowd, which included construction workers on a building across the street and others in front of the Port Authority.

Each time he took his hand away to wave, there were gasps from observers who feared he might fall.

As Mr. Robert climbed the building, police officers from the Emergency Services Unit, using a freight elevator, assembled on the roof. “He’s up to 30-something,” one police officer radioed another. “No, he’s up to 45,” another officer radioed back.

A security guard remarked, “Apparently, he’s a professional climber,” and a police officer replied: “To be honest, looking at this building, you don’t have to be a professional. This building is like a ladder.” (Designed to be environmentally sensitive, the tower is sheathed in distinctive horizontal ceramic rods that are intended to diffuse sunlight, allowing natural light to enter the building while keeping out heat and increasing the building’s energy efficiency.)

Around a dozen police officers were on the roof when Mr. Robert arrived there. One of them put on a hard hat, harnessed himself to the building and sat out on a beam, a couple of feet from the building, as Mr. Robert reached the top. When he got to the top, he calmly perched himself on the same beam, beside the officer, and raised his hands. The pair began talking.

Mr. Robert was placed in handcuffs and led across the roof and into a service elevator. The police officers had evidently made preparations in case he resisted, but he submitted peacefully. A Times reporter asked, “Where are you from and why are you doing this?” Mr. Robert said, “France. Paris.”

Mr. Robert was taken down through the service elevator to an underground service area of the building. A reporter asked why he had chosen The Times’s building. His reply: “This is a green building, which is a fantastic step.” He proceeded to talk about global warming as the police led him away. He said he believed the news media would give more prominence to coverage of global warming if a man climbed a prominent building.

Asked about the difficulty of the climb, he replied: “No, the building was easy. It was just a statement. Plus, I’m a professional climber.”

He added: “My name is Alain Robert. I did climb about 18 buildings around the world and I climbed even the five tallest.”

Then he was moved into a squad car and driven away, east on West 40th Street. He was taken to the Midtown South police precinct.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/alain.matt-533.jpg
(Photo: Matthew Orr/The New York Times)
A view of Alain Robert from inside the Times building, as he climbed it.

New York’s skyscrapers have long been sites for death-defying stunts. In 1974, a French stunt artist, Philippe Petit, famously walked a high-wire strung between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. (Mr. Petit’s feat is the subject of a new documentary, “Man on a Wire,” (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/movies/18trib.html) which has received critical acclaim.)

More recently, in 2006, another stuntman, Jeb Corliss, was arrested after trying to jump off the observation deck of the Empire State Building. (Mr. Corliss challenged his indictment in court. A trial judge ruled last year (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/nyregion/18jumper.html) that as a professional jumper, he was experienced and careful enough to jump off a building without endangering his own life or anyone else’s. But this year, an appellate court overturned the ruling (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/nyregion/05jumper.html), although it reduced the charge in the indictment from a felony charge of reckless endangerment with depraved indifference to life, to a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment.)

Mr. Robert is a practitioner of free-soloing, a kind of climbing done without ropes, harnesses or other external supports. (”Free climbing,” another kind of climbing, involves no equipment to aid in the climb, but does include ropes for protection in the event of a fall.)

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/alain.matt-190.jpg
(Photo: Matthew Orr/The New York Times)
Alain Robert stands on a ledge outside the building.

“Climbing is my passion, my philosophy of life,” Mr. Robert states on his Web site (http://www.alainrobert.com/), adding, “Although I suffer from vertigo, although my accidents left me disabled up to 60 percent, I have become the best solo climber.” The Web site states that in eight years, Mr. Robert has climbed more than “70 skyscrapers and mythical monuments around the world.”

The 52-story steel-and-glass Times building, at 620 Eighth Avenue, between West 40th and 41st Streets, was designed by Renzo Piano and opened last year (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/arts/design/20time.html). A personal assistant at Mr. Piano’s architectural studio in Paris said he was traveling and not immediately available for comment. Along with The Times, it is occupied by several law firms, including Covington & Burling, Seyfarth Shaw and Goodwin Procter. Before The Times moved last year, it had previously occupied a neo-Renaissance building at 229 West 43rd Street (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/weekinreview/10dunlap.html) since 1913.

Inspector James McCarthy, the commanding officer of the Midtown South police precinct, said Mr. Robert would likely face several criminal charges, including, at the least, reckless endangerment.

Reporting was contributed by Corey Kilgannon, Eric Konigsberg, Jennifer 8. Lee, Conrad Mulcahy and Allen Salkin.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

[The Benniest]

Well, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for the NY Times to get coverage of this, as seen from some of the pictures.

[lofter1]

There is ANOTHER climber -- Copy Cat :confused: -- going up right now ...

Live on the TV ...

He's at about floor 30 on the west face above 8th Avenue, but looks to be tiring as she is stretching his arms.

He also seems to be searing hard-soled shoes with a sizeable heels -- not the best climbing shoes.

NYPD has air bags on the sidewalk below ...

[lofter1]

The phantom climber is now looking fairly exhausted. He's at about Floor 40. He's hanging over the top of one of the big openings in the rods.

Of course the problem is that the windows do not open, so there will be no easy way to get him from the front of the rod curtain into the building :eek:

NYPD is wating en masse at the top of the building.

[lofter1]

It's being reported that the 2nd climber's shirt reads "MALARIA"

[lofter1]

This is excruciating -- :eek: -- but hard to turn away from :cool: ...

He looks to be getting cramps in his feet and is trying to stretch as he rests in one of the openings.

Now he looks like he's trying to find a way in through one of the windows ...

[lofter1]

NY1 is now the only channel with live coverage ...

He's on his way up again.

But now he has again stopped and is leaning in through one of the big openings.

A reporter on the street is saying that the 2nd climber is known to some folks on the street and that he is a 32-year old resident from Sunset Park -- an artist who has been planning the climb for weeks to bring awareness to the problem of Malaria ...

[lofter1]

The crowd on the street is cheering him on as he climbs the last of the curtain rods above the windows and approaches the top of the building.

He's now 5 feet from the top ...

NYPD is talking to him ... and he has stopped climbing.

Negotiations :confused:

[lofter1]

He's continuing up and has reached the level of the roof ...

He's ON THE ROOF and in the hands of NYPD.

Phhewwwww :)

[Derek2k3]

It would've been interesting if the tower was designed to climb it. What an attraction it would become.

[lofter1]

We're now getting great helicopter shots of the top of the Times Tower ...

The building looks great.

Apparently a number of the rods were damaged during today's climbs.

Not surprised, as my understanding is that the rods are hollow ceramic with a cable running through the middle and attached to the framework with hardware on either end.

Definitely not built with this in mind.

[The Benniest]

Wow... such excitement this afternoon! :rolleyes:

Thanks for the post-by-post-by-post update lofter. :)

[stache]

I'm curious to know how much stress the rods can take.

[NYC4Life]

Hopefully that NY times article was not plagiarized
by a frenchman. :D

[lofter1]

Helpful to a reporter when the story comes to you :cool:

Second Climber at Times Building in Custody

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/climber2-533.jpg
(Photo: Raymond McCrea Jones/The New York Times)
The second climber passed the 12th floor of the New York Times building around 6 p.m.

NY TIMES (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/yes-another-man-is-climbing-times-building/?hp)
By Sewell Chan
June 5, 2008, 6:11 pm

Updated, 7:44 p.m.

Hours after Alain Robert, a French stuntman, scaled 52 stories up the exterior of the New York Times building and was arrested on the roof, another man — remarkably — climbed up the building, this time on the southwestern corner, facing West 40th Street and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The copycat climber reached the roof around 6:38 p.m. and was immediately taken into custody by firefighters and police Emergency Service Unit officers.

The man was led down from the roof — just as Mr. Robert had been hours earlier — in the building’s freight elevator, by officers who towered over him and wore helmets and strapped with heavy equipment including ropes and straps and rescue harnesses.

As police officers escorted him out of a service elevator, the man identified himself as an information technology worker and “urban climber” from Brooklyn. He said he had climbed two other skyscrapers in Manhattan. It was not immediately possible to independently confirm that claim. The police later identified him as Renaldo Clarke, 33. They said he was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center for a psychiatric evaluation.
Depending on the outcome, they said, he could face the same charges as Mr. Robert: reckless endangerment, making graffiti, criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. (Mr. Robert had unfurled a banner about global warming.)

He wore baggy red pants and a dirty white T-shirt with the words “Malaria No More” in bold blue letters – and a pair of handcuffs. As he was led out of the elevator and down a long hallway, Mr. Clarke smiled broadly as if being carried victorious off a soccer field, and gave cryptic answers about his motivation.

Asked how his climb would help increase awareness of malaria, he smiled directly into a reporter’s video camera and said, “I’m going to be on the news, no?”

“I got to the top,” he exuded. As he was led out the door onto 40th Street, a crowd of people cheered for him and a throng of news photographers swarmed him as he was put into a police van. He smiled all the while, especially while photographers and cheering passers-by repeatedly slapped the van window near where he sat.

Just as the police cordoned off the sidewalk on the north side of the building, on West 41st Street, this morning, so the police officers closed off the sidewalk on the southern and western sides in the early evening.
Traffic was backed up on Eighth Avenue as the authorities responded to the scene. An astonished crowd gathered outside the bus terminal, which faces the Times building, and watched the spectacle.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/climber2.jpg
(Photo: Nicholas W. Skyles/The New York Times)
An employee of The New York Times got a close-up view of the second climber.

“He was staring me at me on the fourth floor,” said Kim Severson, a reporter for The Times’s Dining section, who was in the southwest corner of the building when she saw the man pass just a few feet away. “I caught his eyes for one second and he turned and started climbing. He was right by my boss’s desk. At first I thought, ‘Is he a window washer?’ But he had no equipment. He turned and climbed up, at a very rapid pace. He looked very focused. He looked very solemn and determined.”

He appeared to be going at a slower rate than Mr. Robert did, and to be less certain of his footing. Like Mr. Robert, the man was wearing no harness and no rope.

The Times building, at 620 Eighth Avenue, between West 40th and 41st Streets, was designed by Renzo Piano and opened last year. Both Mr. Robert and the copycat climber appeared to scale the building using the horizontal ceramic rods that sheath the exterior — and are one of the building’s most distinctive features. The rods are intended to allow sunlight while keeping out heat, helping the building use energy more efficiently.

Mr. Piano is known for exposing the structural elements of buildings, merging function and design. Along with Richard Rogers, Mr. Piano was the designed of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, a contemporary-arts institution that has been described as a “giant climbing frame.” (http://www.rsh-p.com/render.aspx?siteID=1&navIDs=1,4,25,121,185)

The mood in The Times’s offices — which this morning was one of bemusement and wonder, when Mr. Robert made his climb — appeared to turn toward anxiety and alarm. Several employees who saw the copycat climber ascend the building voiced worries that the man might fall to his death.

Catherine J. Mathis, a spokeswoman for The New York Times Company, said in a statement, “The two climbers are jeopardizing their safety and the safety of others. We are deeply concerned about this situation.”

She later issued a second statement: “Two climbers used our headquarters building to make personal statements. Their illegal and ill-considered actions jeopardized their safety and the safety of others. We are taking steps to prevent future occurrences.”

David W. Dunlap, Christine Hauser, Corey Kilgannon, Patrick McGeehan and Paul von Zielbauer contributed reporting.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

[NYC4Life]

Perhaps they should both try and climb Beekman Tower

[The Benniest]

I agree Lofter. They seemed to have had quite an easy day today. :p

[Dagrecco82]

At least we know the rods are very strong.. or strong enough to hold a 130-150lb man.

[The Benniest]

Not just one 150 lb. man, but two.

;)

[antinimby]

Pics from the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/05/nyregion/0605-CLIMBER_index.html):

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/06building2a_600.jpg
Twice in one day, men scaled The New York Times Building in Midtown Manhattan. Each was taken into
custody by police officers once they reached the roof.


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nytfrontpage/23540539.JPG
At about noon, Alain Robert, a French stuntman known for climbing tall buildings, scaled the New York Times
building at 41st Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, clutching a bright green banner that read:
"Global warming kills more people than 9/11 every week."


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/23541692.JPG
As Mr. Robert made his way up the building, a crowd gathered on the sidewalk, pointing, gawking and
capturing pictures and images with cellphones, digital cameras and video cameras.


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/23541307.JPG
Mr. Robert weaved in and out of the ceramic rod facade, seeming to rest on the building's exterior beams
every few floors before swinging himself back out the face of the rods to resume his climb.


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/06building2d_600.jpg
The second climber, 32-year-old Renaldo Clarke of Brooklyn, made the ascent shortly after 6:30 p.m.


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/06building2b_600.jpg
Evening rush-hour traffic was halted as onlookers
watched the events unfold.


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/23541103.JPG
Mr. Robert is famous for scaling structures like the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the Sydney Opera House in
Australia and the Eiffel Tower and Montparnasse Tower in Paris. He said he climbed The New York Times
building to raise awareness about global warming.


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nytfrontpage/23540543.JPG
Mr. Robert was arrested by police when he reached the top of the building.


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nytfrontpage/23540545.JPG
He was escorted to a police car after he was brought down. He used no rope, harness or parachute.


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/05/nyregion/06building2c_600.jpg
Mr. Clarke was also escorted out of the building.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

[kz1000ps]

LOL at those last two. The frenchman with his disdainful sneer and the IT guy with a "what the hell did I just do?!" smirk. Those are priceless!

(full disclosure: I'm roughly 72.5% french... roughly).

[lofter1]

Atlanta father of NYC daredevil: He 'is not a nut!'

Son of local couple scales Times building after famous climber pulls off same feat

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/06/05/new_york_climber.html)
By MARCUS K. GARNER
06/05/08

Renaldo Clarke Sr. never thought highly of daredevils.

So he didn't think twice when he saw a TV news report about two men scaling the New York Times building in New York City.

Until he learned one of them was his son.

"That's my youngest son," the retiree told a New York reporter who called Clarke's southwest Atlanta home Thursday evening.

Renaldo (Ray) Clarke Jr., 32, climbed the 52-story Manhattan building Thursday, behind another better-known climber: the notorious Frenchman Alain Robert, also known as Spider-Man.

Both men were quickly arrested by New York police and are undergoing psychological evaluations in the mental ward of city's Bellevue Hospital Center.

But the senior Clarke won't have anyone calling his son crazy.

"I just want you to know my son is not a nut!" he said.

The younger Clarke is a native New Yorker who works as an artist at an engineering firm in Manhattan.

As news helicopters hovered overhead, broadcasting the feat live on TV, Clarke eventually made it to the top, where he was handcuffed by detectives and hauled away. The Times newsroom broke into applause.

"He did seem apologetic," said Detective Peter Kecthely, who arrested Clarke. "He knew that he was endangering us and the public."

Both men climbed the latticework facade without safety harnesses or ropes to draw attention to separate issues: global warming and childhood malaria.

http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/04/27/50/image_7150274.jpg
David Goldman/AP
Renaldo Clarke Jr., whose parents live in Atlanta,
slowly climbs up the New York Times building.

Clarke's dad watched the climb on TV in his Atlanta home but had no idea it was his son on the building.

"When (the reporter) started mentioning the malaria issue, I knew that was him," Clarke said.

Clarke said his son became passionate about preventing the mosquito-borne disease when the head of the engineering firm he works for began championing the cause. During his climb, Clarke wore a shirt reading "Malaria No More," the name of an organization that promotes awareness about malaria and raises money for bed nets. Martin Edlund, a spokesman for the organization, said the climber was not affiliated with the group.

"My son was attempting to make a statement," said Renaldo Clarke Sr., 61, a retired Con Ed worker.

Renaldo Clarke Jr. was no stranger to daring deeds, his parents said.

His mother, Constance, said he kayaked from their home in the community of Far Rockaway in the borough of Queens, N.Y., to Brooklyn, just across the East River from Manhattan.

"He started rock climbing and wall climbing when he was maybe 20," she said. "He keeps me on my knees (praying)."

A stunt in which he scaled the Brooklyn Bridge several months ago to cross the famed landmark at its highest point made his father call for a stop to the climbing.

"I spoke to him about it," the father said. "I thought this business was all forgotten."

http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/07/25/50/image_7150257.jpg
Family photo
The younger Clarke was no stranger to daring deeds,
his parents said.

The younger Clarke grew up in Queens with his parents and three siblings. His parents retired and moved to southwest Atlanta three years ago.

They say he's always had a drive to help others, and that is what spurred him to pull this stunt.

"When he gets involved in something, he's very passionate about it," Constance Clarke said.

A chagrined Renaldo Clarke Sr. said he learned Thursday night that this was the third building his son has scaled, though he doesn't know where the first two buildings were.

There won't be a fourth, he said.

"That's not going to happen again," he said.

Copyright© 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

[stache]

Come to think of it, global warming and malaria kind of go together -

[alonzo-ny]

Some great shots from inside, courtesy of a friend.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3114/2555453459_343ce099f8.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/2555453453_d47d95e1be.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2555453447_4c6f906a6b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2555453437_0ee0059a1a.jpg

[lofter1]

Great ^ http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif

[MidtownGuy]

WOW, I get dizzy just looking at the photos. How could they have been so confident that the rods wouldn't break loose or snap.

[The Benniest]

Was yesterday a windy day in New York? :p

[kliq6]

No it was a perfect day to climb!

[stache]

this will be the beginning of a new trend.

[The Benniest]

Predictions for the next tower/building to be climbed in or out of New York?

[Wrightfan]

So... speaking as an architect, I have to wonder what kind of claims will be made against Piano?
Heh, as if the falling ice wasn't bad enough.
When I first saw Piano's high rise in Germany using the rods, my first reaction was that it was what Fay Jones would have done if he had designed a skyscraper, however, you can't build in New York what looks great in Arkansas.

If I were to propose a fix, it would be a complete glass barrier 100% at the perimeter, cantilevering out. It's either that or removing the rods entirely for the first few stories.

Chalk another one up to lack of foresight.

[lofter1]

The rods start at a point some 40 feet above the sidewalk.

However there is still some scaffolding around (apparently in connection with build-outs and work to for commercial & retail tenants). That seems to be how the climbers gained access.

Hardly the fault of Mr. Renzo Piano.

[NYC4Life]

Next Building to be scaled i will say is Bank of America. Back at the Times Building, extra security measures have been placed but its only temporary. Those rods that keep sunlight to a minimum have ony kept climbers coming in..:cool:

[antinimby]

How could they have been so confident that the rods wouldn't break loose or snap.Here's how...

Climber Tells of Test Run at Times Building

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/06/nyregion/robert-533.jpg
Alain Robert, the French climber who scaled the exterior of the New York Times building on
Thursday, said he completed a test run beforehand. He gave the interview today in his hotel
room with a view of the building.


By Patrick McGeehan
June 6, 2008 (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/climber-tells-of-test-run-at-times-building/), 5:12 pm

The French stuntman Alain Robert, the first of two men who climbed the New York Times building, said in an interview on Friday that he chose the 52-story tower because it was so simple to scale and because it was known as a “green” building.

A few nights before his climb of the 52-story building on Thursday, he said, he tested the sturdiness of the rods at 2 a.m. by climbing up on the overhang and tugging on the rods. He said he climbed several feet and discovered that scaling the whole building would not be hard.

Dressed like a rock star in a leather suit and cowboy boots, Mr. Robert, 46, described the Times building as a 1 on a difficulty scale from 1 to 10. He said his prime goal was to ascend as quickly as he safely could to a point beyond the reach of the fire department’s ladders, which he believed was about 200 feet.

Once he could not be stopped, he paused to unfurl a banner and attach it to the building. The banner promoted Thesolutionissimple.org, an environmental group that sponsored his climb.

Peter Myers, director of the group, estimated that the stunt cost “several thousand dollars,” primarily for travel and a week’s stay in a hotel in Manhattan. Mr. Robert and his small entourage were staying in a Hilton-Times Square hotel across the street from the building.

From the window in his room overlooking West 41st Street, Mr. Robert had a close-up view on Friday of the north face of the building, which he had climbed without any ropes or tools. Looking down, he could see two security guards; the building’s landlords had posted them on the roof of the four-story extension of the tower to prevent any more attempts to climb it.

On Thursday evening, Renaldo Clarke, a Brooklyn resident, duplicated Mr. Robert’s feat by climbing the building’s west face. Like Mr. Robert, Mr. Clarke was arrested on the roof. He proclaimed his cause with a “Malaria No More” T-Shirt. (The Moment blog has a critique of his fashion sense today.)

Mr. Robert, a slight man, with shoulder-length brown hair and a nose bent like a prizefighter’s, said he was neither flattered nor insulted by Mr. Clarke’s same-day imitation.

“Since climbing this building is like climbing a ladder, it doesn’t mean he is a good climber,” Mr. Robert said. “For me, it doesn’t change anything.”

Mr. Robert said he had been planning to climb the Times building for several weeks and had traveled to New York from his home in France to look it over on a previous visit. He said he had one or two alternatives in the city in mind, but declined to identify them.

He described the Times building as a “perfect target” because a ladderlike curtain of horizontal rods extends from the second floor up to the roof. To reach the lowest rods, he merely had to shimmy his 110-pound body up a beam from the sidewalk on 41st Street to a glass overhang, he said.

He likened it to a building in China, the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, a much taller skyscraper (93 floors) that he climbed last year.

“Height doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “Sometimes the higher doesn’t mean the harder.”

He said he tried to minimize the disruption his stunt would cause by choosing not to climb the Eighth Avenue side of the building and not climbing during the morning or evening rush. But he acknowledged that if he had climbed the east face, there would have been no chance of him falling onto pedestrians below.

He said he was never worried about getting caught by security guards before he could get far off the ground.

“I saw that it’s a very quiet environment,” he said of the building’s site. “You don’t feel that it’s surrounded by cops or security.”

All that had changed by Friday morning. After the back-to-back ascents, the building was ringed by police officers and private security guards and workers were creating a makeshift plywood barrier to prevent any more copycats from trying to replicate Mr. Robert’s climb.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

[antinimby]

How did the Times finally ended up taking down the banner he had put up? :confused:

[NYC4Life]

^ It is a green building so perhaps they just wanted to recycle it :p

[The Benniest]

Times Imposes Security Measures After Climbers’ Stunts

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/07/nyregion/07building.span.jpg
Outside The New York Times Building on Friday, a television reporter explained security steps taken after two men scaled the 52-story tower. More Photos > (http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/05/nyregion/0605-CLIMBER_index.html)

By JAMES BARRON (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/james_barron/index.html?inline=nyt-per) and ROBIN POGREBIN (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/robin_pogrebin/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
Published: June 7, 2008

Executives of The New York Times Company undertook security studies in planning its new headquarters after 9/11, focusing on terrorist threats but apparently never considering that the building — sheathed in rows of horizontal ceramic bars — could become an urban ladder for climbers, as it did twice on Thursday.

Michael Golden, the vice chairman of the Times Company, said he did not recall any discussion about the possibility that someone could try to scale the 52-story building. “I don’t remember that, no,” he said on Friday.

A day after one man followed by another used the building as a giant jungle gym, the executives responsible for security and engineering met with police officials. The Times Company and Forest City Ratner, the real estate company that owns 48 percent of the building, agreed to a short-term plan to keep would-be climbers away.

The plan, which involved hiring security guards and putting up plywood barriers to close gaps that climbers could squeeze through on their way up, reflected both the seriousness of the issue and the unexpected sense of vulnerability at the Times Building. The ceramic rods are one of the building’s most distinctive features, a lattice of silvery-gray bars that forms an extra outer skin, several feet beyond the plate-glass windows that run to the ceiling on each floor. The plywood installed on Friday gave a construction-zone touch to a metal-and-glass building whose look had been carefully thought out.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/06/nyregion/climb.650.jpg
Workers installed sheets of plywood on Friday to cover gaps that let two men reach the Times Building's ladderlike sheath a day before. More Photos » (http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/05/nyregion/0605-CLIMBER_index.html)

The skyscraper, on Eighth Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets, is the work of the Italian architect Renzo Piano (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/renzo_piano/index.html?inline=nyt-per), who declined to be interviewed on Friday, saying that Mr. Golden had specifically instructed him not to speak to the newspaper’s reporters. Mr. Golden acknowledged this, saying, “I’ve told Renzo, I don’t think there’s any good that comes from this kind of publicity.”

The design work on the building began long before the 9/11 attacks, and after the destruction of the World Trade Center, Mr. Golden said, “there was a great deal of discussion and design changes made for the security” of the new Times Building — “not for people climbing outside, but the kinds of issues 9/11 raised.” He would not discuss the details.

He said he was deeply troubled by Thursday’s events. “I hate the fact that it happened — there’s no good that comes of it,” he said.

But as to whether the Times Company would consider removing the ceramic rods, he said, “No.”

The first climber, a French stuntman named Alain Robert (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/alain_robert/index.html?inline=nyt-per), said in an interview on Friday that the ease of climbing the Times Building was quite obvious to him — on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, he rated it a 1. Even so, he said, his stunt required some planning. He said he had scouted the building some weeks ago and had even done a brief trial climb about 2 o’clock one morning, apparently undetected.

Ever since the mountain climber George H. Willig scaled the south tower of the World Trade Center in 1977, architects have been careful to avoid making tall buildings easy to climb. “There is a certain logic to how accessible you make the building — how readily are you actually creating a ladder up to the top?” said T. J. Gottesdiener, a managing partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which designed the Freedom Tower being built at ground zero.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/06/nyregion/robert.190h.jpg
Alain Robert

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/07/nyregion/clarke.190h.jpg
Renaldo Clarke

“This is going to be a real big consideration on everybody’s list” because of the two incidents at the Times Building, he said.

For the Freedom Tower, Mr. Gottesdiener said, the architects designed a base of vertical, prismatic glass to avoid climbable ledges. Security issues regarding the facade were discussed at length. “It’s very practical — whether people can actually come and stick their toe in it and start to climb up it,” Mr. Gottesdiener said. “You’ve got to think about what kind of opportunities you’re presenting to people.”

Soon after The Times moved into the building last year, security duties were divided. Security in the lobby was split between officers who worked for the Times Company and others who worked for First New York Partners, a management and operations arm of Forest City Ratner. Under that arrangement, the Times Company was responsible for security on its floors — 2 through 27, and part of 28 — and First New York was responsible for the remaining floors and the exterior of the building.

Abbe R. Serphos, the director of public relations for the Times Company, said that the arrangements had changed in recent weeks. She said that security employees of the Times Company had “started to report to” First New York Partners. “They oversee our security team now,” Ms. Serphos said.

She said the Times Company’s longtime director of security, Jay McKillop, had left recently and “moved on to another opportunity.” Reached by cellphone on Friday, Mr. McKillop declined to discuss the security planning for the Times Building or say whether the issue of climbers had been considered.

John Garrity, an employee of First New York Partners who is director of security for The New York Times Building, also declined to comment. He said he had been instructed not to speak by executives of the Times Company.

No one could recollect a climbing incident at The Times’s former headquarters on West 43rd Street.

Mr. Robert and the other climber, Renaldo Clarke of Brooklyn, were both charged with reckless endangerment, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. Both were released on bail on Friday.

Steven Emerson, the executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a nonprofit public interest group in Washington, said the fact that two climbers scaled the building in one day with such ease showed flaws in preparedness. Neither man used any equipment, unlike Mr. Willig, who designed special climbing apparatus for his World Trade Center ascent.

Mr. Emerson said that any news media organization needed tight security, and added that he was surprised that the Times Building did not have “prohibitive perimeter security” — something at street level to stop would-be climbers from getting a foothold. “I just naturally assumed that in the construction of the new building they would have accounted for the fact that it would be a natural magnet, particularly in a post-9/11 world,” he said.

Mr. Robert said in an interview on Friday that he chose the Times Building because climbing it seemed simple.

He said his prime goal was to ascend as quickly as possible to a height beyond the reach of the Fire Department’s ladders, which he figured was about 200 feet.

Once he knew he could not be stopped, he paused to unfurl a banner and attach it to the building. The banner promoted thesolutionissimple.org (http://thesolutionissimple.org/), the Web site of an environmental group that sponsored his climb.

Mr. Robert, a slight man with shoulder-length brown hair and a nose bent like a prizefighter’s, said he was neither flattered nor insulted by Mr. Clarke’s same-day ascent.

“Since climbing this building is like climbing a ladder, it doesn’t mean he is a good climber,” Mr. Robert said. “For me, it doesn’t change anything.”

Mr. Robert said he had been planning to climb the Times Building for several weeks. He described it as a “perfect target” because of the ladderlike curtain of rods, which runs from the second floor to the roof. To reach the lowest rods, he shimmied up a beam from the sidewalk on 41st Street to a glass overhang, he said.

Copyright 2008 New York Times Company

[Wrightfan]

The rods start at a point some 40 feet above the sidewalk.

That last photo posted here shows the rods less than 20 ft. above the sidewalk.

[scumonkey]

optical illusion due to the angle of the shot-those rods are alot closer to 40 feet off the ground than 20.
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/5231/dscf0117ej7.jpg

[nykid17]

The Bea-utiful Times Tower
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/2560050622_0463a6ea4f_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27467028@N06/2560050622/)
And the "top of the line" security they hired to make sure no more dare devils take on the climb.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2560050654_46ac3c3093_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27467028@N06/2560050654/)

[HurricaneFanatic]

I'd be more inclined to call the "Daredevils" potential Darwin Award winners, considering the height of the NY Times Tower. And for one of the few times in history, the NY Times IS the news instead of reporting it.

[Wrightfan]

optical illusion due to the angle of the shot-those rods are alot closer to 40 feet off the ground than 20.
Nope. That's the Eighth Avenue side. 40th and 41st are 20 ft. up, and that's (one of) the side you see in the picture I responded to.

[antinimby]

And the "top of the line" security they hired to make sure no more dare devils take on the climb.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2560050654_46ac3c3093_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27467028@N06/2560050654/)You can probably "bribe" her with a candy bar and she'll look the other way. :D

[stache]

Just dangle it from a string - ;)

[The Benniest]

The "French-Spiderman" appeared on The Today Show this morning in an interview. It explains his message that he was trying to get across, why he doesn't use wires/protection, etc.

Video clip here. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25058517#25058517)

[kliq6]

Predictions for the next tower/building to be climbed in or out of New York?

It should be BOA and then Freedom Tower , but they are not constructed to climb!

[NYC4Life]

Next person to scale the Times Tower should climb up to the flagpole spire :D

[BrooklynRider]

And wave a copy of the NY Post from the top.

[stache]

LOLLLLLLL!!!!!! :p

[Daquan13]

It should be BOA and then Freedom Tower , but they are not constructed to climb!



Let him try to climb the Freedom Tower. He'll be arrested and be accused of being a terrorist.

[Optimus Prime]

I tried to post about this earlier today but the database error ate my post. I was walking under the glass canopy this afternoon at 40th and 8th when what looked like a steel rod (maybe 6 inches long?) fell from the Times Tower onto the sidewalk (beyond the canopy). Thankfully it did not hit anyone but it almost hit a guy who was standing near the curb. He immediately started yelling up to some workers who were doing something on the facade, I would guess 10-15 stories or so up but I booked it out of there before doing an exact count to avoid more potential debris. The guy who was almost hit looked like he could have been with the construction guys, but I'm not sure.

Oh and I checked out Muji after this and concur with the above reviews. The layout is really annoying. The view of the courtyard is pretty nice, though.

[brianac]

And wave a copy of the NY Post from the top.



From the New York Post

NYC COUNCIL MEMBERS EYE BAN ON BUILDING CLIMBING

PROPOSE JAIL, FINES FOR OFFENDERS

AP

Last updated: 2:41 pm
June 26, 2008

NEW YORK - New York City Council members are considering a proposal to outlaw climbing or jumping off buildings in the wake of several skyscraper stunts.

The Public Safety Committee hearing on Tuesday comes weeks after two men scaled a midtown Manhattan tower housing The New York Times.

A grand jury declined to indict one of the climbers, who said he took precautions to make sure no one else was at risk.

The proposal's sponsors say such stunts are a danger to the public and a distraction for police.

The plan would make it a misdemeanor to climb, or try to jump from, any structure more than 25 feet tall.

Violators could face up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06262008/news/regionalnews/nyc_council_members_eye_ban_on_building__117332.ht m

Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[NYC4Life]

Better hurry up and scale all the towers before this becomes law :D

[BrooklynRider]

Oh please, like we need yet another prohibitive law in NY.

Those climbers put NYC back on the map internationally for a NY-style publicity stunt. The fear-mongers hijacked it.

[lofter1]

I was near the Times building yesterday -- as I walked by I heard a number of people on the streets pointing out the building and discussing the climbers. Seems it brought huge amounts of PR to Renzo Piano / Times Tower.

The $1,000 fine is ludicrous if the intent is to minimize the "distraction for police" -- if you're going to create a law to dissuade behavior then the penalty should include reimbursement of all costs incurred by the NYPD, etc.

[NYC4Life]

A third man attempts to climb the Times Tower. This is still a developing story and as of this writing, the man is several floors up.

UPDATE: The man has been arrested on the 5th floor. He made it up to the 11th floor before descending back down. He is described as David Malone, age 29 from Connecticut. He hung a banner promoting his website in which he proclaims to be a terrorist expert. Malone also made notes on Osama Bin Laden's plans. However; no further details were available at the moment.

[NYC4Life]

From: New York Times (oddly enough..LOL :rolleyes:)

Third Man Climbs Times Building and Is Arrested

By Tanzina Vega (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/author/tvega/)

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/07/13/nyregion/09climber02_533.jpg
A man unfurled a banner that appeared to mention Osama bin Laden as he ascended the face of the New York Times building early Wednesday morning. (Photo: Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times)


Updated, 5:35 a.m. |
A man scaled the front of the New York Times building in Midtown Manhattan in the predawn darkness early Wednesday — the third time in six weeks that a climber had scaled the one-year-old skyscraper, which is sheathed in thin ceramic rods. After staying on the building for about four hours, the man surrendered to police officers and was arrested around 5:20 a.m.

Unlike the two previous climbers, this one — identified as David Malone, an activist who studies Al Qaeda (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/al_qaeda/index.html) — did not attempt to make his way to the roof. Instead, he unfurled a banner around the fifth floor of the 52-story building, before climbing a few more stories. Several hours elapsed during which the police appeared to alternate between trying to go after the man and waiting for him to surrender. After he surrendered, police officers walked Mr. Malone out of the building’s West 40th Street entrance and placed him in an ambulance.

The police received a call at 1:23 a.m. Wednesday alerting them that there was a person scaling the skyscraper, at 620 Eighth Avenue, between 40th and 41st Streets. The authorities closed off Eighth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets to traffic, as well as West 41st Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, diverting vehicles onto other streets. Sidewalks below the Times building were closed to pedestrians.

Police officers tried to catch the climber by cutting through a window on the fifth floor of the building, but after having briefly rested at that level, he had already climbed past them.

The climbing episodes have at this point become something of an embarrassment for The Times. On June 5, two men scaled the building (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/nyregion/06climber.html), hours apart, reaching the roof before being arrested. The first was Alain Robert (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/alain_robert/index.html?inline=nyt-per), a 45-year-old French stuntman known for climbing tall buildings (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/man-scales-new-york-times-building/); the second was Renaldo Clarke (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/nyregion/11about.html), 32, of Brooklyn, who said he wanted to draw attention to the problem of malaria (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/yes-another-man-is-climbing-times-building/).

At the time, Times officials said they tightened security and took other precautions (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/nyregion/07building.html) to prevent anyone from climbing up the building again.

Now, just over a month later, someone has, yet again.

The Daily News reported on its Web site early Wednesday morning that it had received a call from the latest climber (http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/07/08/2008-07-08_times_climb__again_man_scales_papers_hea.html) and that he had identified himself as David Malone, 29, of Connecticut, who had dropped out of the University of Michigan to study Al Qaeda.

A police officer subsequently confirmed that Mr. Malone was the climber. What appears to be Mr. Malone’s Web site, called Bin Laden’s Plan (http://www.binladensplan.com/), states that Mr. Malone “independently researching bin Laden and publicly advocating the aggressive isolation and destruction of Al Qaeda.” (http://www.binladensplan.com/About%20the%20Author.htm) The site goes on to claim that Mr. Malone “has successfully predicted some of the major events of bin Laden’s war” and is now trying to warn of efforts by the terrorist network to goad the United States to invade Pakistan and Iran. (Mr. Malone did not immediately respond to an e-mail message requesting an interview.)

Witnesses said the climber began his ascent near the northern entrance to the building, on West 41st Street, and made his way toward the western entrance, which is on Eighth Avenue, opposite from the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

“I thought he was a worker,” said Michael Pabon, 32, who was outside the bus terminal when he saw the man begin to scale the building. “He turned up to the letter ‘H’ and climbed above it,” Mr. Pabon said, referring to the letter H in the “The” of the New York Times logo, which is painted in giant black letters on the ceramic rods on the Eighth Avenue side of the building.

It was above the “T” in “The” that the climber hung a white banner with red fliers stuck to it, which referenced Mr. bin Laden. Some of the red fliers were also stuck to the windows of various floors in the building as the climber went up.

Witnesses said the climber was using his cellphone repeatedly during his ascent. “He’s some kind of professional,” Mr. Pabon said. “You could see he knows what he’s doing.”

After reaching the 11th floor, Mr. Malone faced out toward the street and talked on his cellphone for several minutes. He then descended to a spot between the ninth and 10th floors. Police officers on the fifth floor had breached a floor-to-ceiling window and some were outfitted with climbing cables and hard hats. A large inflatable cushion had been positioned placed on the sidewalk in front of the main entrance, presumably to save the man if he jumped.

The Times building was designed by the architect Renzo Piano and opened last year. Both Mr. Robert and the second climber appeared to scale the building using the horizontal ceramic rods that sheath the exterior — and are one of the building’s most distinctive features. The rods are intended to allow sunlight while keeping out heat, helping the building use energy more efficiently.

There is a long history of attention-grabbing stunts at New York skyscrapers. The French stunt artist Philippe Petit walked along a high wire strung between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974, a feat that is the subject of a new documentary, “Man on a Wire.” In 1977, the mountain climber George H. Willig scaled the south tower of the trade center.

In 2006, another stuntman, Jeb Corliss, was arrested after trying to jump off the observation deck of the Empire State Building (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/empire_state_building/index.html).
Prosecuting the stuntmen has sometimes proved difficult.

In the most recent cases, Mr. Robert, who climbed the Times building on June 5, faced misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, trespassing and graffiti. But on June 12 a grand jury decided to dismiss those charges (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/nyregion/13climber.html), though it did allow Manhattan prosecutors to proceed with two counts of disorderly conduct against Mr. Robert. Lawyers for Mr. Clarke, who faced the same charges as Mr. Robert, said they hoped that he, too, would only face disorderly conduct charges.

On June 26, City Council members introduced a bill that would explicitly make it illegal to scale or jump from a building 25 feet or taller (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/nyregion/27climb.html).

[antinimby]

This climbing the NY Times thing is getting old.

[TREPYE]

^^ Makes me think of the old timeless question: Why some people can act really idiotic?

I cringe at the alterations that they are going to make to the design to prevent another imbecil from doing this. Hopefully they will just add more security and thats it.

[stache]

The Bea-utiful Times Tower

And the "top of the line" security they hired to make sure no more dare devils take on the climb.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2560050654_46ac3c3093_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27467028@N06/2560050654/)

Not more of this, please - :p

[millertime83]

Maybe this is all part of some elaborate viral marketing campaign for the Times to lease out the rest of the building.

[philvia]

A large inflatable cushion had been positioned placed on the sidewalk in front of the main entrance, presumably to save the man if he jumped.


i wish he would have jumped

[antinimby]

They're going to remove the rods from the bottom 9 feet of the screen.

(By the way, I've always thought the rods on the lower floors were unnecessary as long, prolonged exposure to sunlight is not a problem as it's mostly blocked by the other nearby buildings.)


Third Man Climbs Times Building and Is Arrested

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/07/10/nyregion/10climb.533.jpg
Police officers escorted David Malone from the New York Times building early Wednesday.
(Photo: Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times)


Updated, 2:41 p.m. (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/third-man-climbs-times-building/) | The New York Times Company is preparing to remove some of the distinctive ceramic rods that sheathe its one-year-old building in Midtown Manhattan, after three men have used the rods to scale the skyscraper over the last five weeks, a law enforcement official said on Wednesday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that The Times was looking to remove about 9 feet of the ceramic rods from the bottom of the curtain-like screen that encases the building. The official also said that The Times had indeed increased security coverage of the building after two climbed the building in separate episodes on June 5, but that the level of security coverage had recently been reduced, for reasons that were not immediately clear. Finally, the official said it appeared that Mr. Malone had breached one of plywood barriers that had been erected after the June 5 climbs to deter similar acts.

Asked about those statements, Catherine J. Mathis, a spokeswoman for The Times, declined to offer details. “At this time, we are not going to discuss the steps we may or may not take or discuss the way in which the climber was able to access the building,” she said.

A man later identified as David Malone, a 29-year-old activist from West Hartford, Conn., who studies Al Qaeda, scaled the face of the building in the predawn darkness early Wednesday. After unfurling a banner with the words “Bin Laden’s Plan” repeated on row after row, and staying on the building for about four hours, he surrendered to police officers and was arrested around 5:20 a.m.

Unlike the two previous climbers, Mr. Malone not attempt to make his way to the roof. Instead, he unfurled a banner around the fifth floor of the 52-story building, before climbing a few more stories. Several hours elapsed during which the police appeared to alternate between trying to go after the man and waiting for him to surrender.

Mr. Malone was taken out of the building’s West 40th Street entrance in handcuffs at 5:39 a.m. and placed in an ambulance. He was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan and then to the Midtown South Precinct, where he was charged with reckless endangerment in the first degree; criminal mischief by intent to damage property; making graffiti; criminal trespass in the third degree; and disorderly conduct by creating a dangerous act.

Mr. Malone, who grew up on Bishop Road in West Hartford, a middle-class suburb of the Connecticut capital, played basketball at the Kingswood-Oxford School, a private high school where he graduated in 1997, according to local news reports.

No one answered the door at the Malone home in West Hartford on Wednesday afternoon.

Lynn Fraser, who lives across the street from the family, said that Mr. Malone “was always his own person” and “always had strong beliefs.” But most of the time, she said, “he was just a quiet kid” who “really just kept to himself.” Ms. Fraser, who has a son around Mr. Malone’s age, said she was vaguely aware that Mr. Malone was working on a politically oriented book but was “speechless” when reporters showed up in her driveway on Wednesday asking questions about him.

In New York City, Mr. Malone’s stunt became known to the authorities at 1:23 a.m., when police received a call alerting them that there was a person scaling the skyscraper, at 620 Eighth Avenue, between 40th and 41st Streets. The authorities closed off Eighth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets to traffic, as well as West 41st Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, diverting vehicles onto other streets. Sidewalks below the Times building were closed to pedestrians.

Police officers tried to catch the climber by cutting through a window on the fifth floor of the building, but after having briefly rested at that level, he had already climbed past them.

The climbing episodes have at this point become something of an embarrassment for The Times. On June 5, two men scaled the building, hours apart, reaching the roof before being arrested. The first was Alain Robert, a 45-year-old French stuntman known for climbing tall buildings; the second was Renaldo Clarke, 32, of Brooklyn, who said he wanted to draw attention to the problem of malaria.

At the time, officials at The Times said they would tighten security and take other precautions to prevent anyone from climbing up the building again.

Asked whether those measures were effective, Ms. Mathis, the spokeswoman for The Times, said, “While the steps we took were worthwhile, we believe other measures are needed.”

She added, “We are exploring additional measures, some temporary and some permanent, to prevent a recurrence but are not going to discuss the specific changes under consideration.”

Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, said, “We have increased our presence in the immediate aftermath of this latest climb and I understand that the Times is taking additional measures to discourage or defeat further attempts to gain access to the ceramic ladder.”

The Daily News reported on its Web site early Wednesday morning that it had received a call from the latest climber and that he had identified himself as David Malone, 29, of Connecticut, who had dropped out of the University of Michigan to study Al Qaeda.

According to the police, Mr. Malone spoke with Jill Coffey, a night editor at The Daily News, after climbing to the 10th floor, where he sat on a ledge for about two hours.

Meanwhile, officers from the Emergency Service Unit, the Hostage Negotiation Team and other units, upon learning of the phone call, tried to persuade Mr. Malone to come down.

“We wanted him to come down to the fifth floor and we persuaded him to do so by telling him he could talk in person with Coffey there and that apparently worked, because he came down to the fifth floor and he talked to Coffey about his bin Laden plan,” said Paul J. Browne, a police spokesman.

Mr. Malone’s Web site, also called “Bin Laden’s Plan” like the message on the banner he unfurled outside the Times building, states that Mr. Malone has been “independently researching bin Laden and publicly advocating the aggressive isolation and destruction of Al Qaeda.” The site goes on to claim that Mr. Malone “has successfully predicted some of the major events of bin Laden’s war” and is now trying to warn of efforts by the terrorist network to goad the United States to invade Pakistan and Iran. (Mr. Malone did not immediately respond to an e-mail message from The Times, sent while he was still on the building, requesting an interview.)
Witnesses said the climber began his ascent near the northern entrance to the building, on West 41st Street, and made his way toward the western entrance, which is on Eighth Avenue, opposite from the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

“I thought he was a worker,” said Michael Pabon, 32, who was outside the bus terminal when he saw the man begin to scale the building. “He turned up to the letter ‘H’ and climbed above it,” Mr. Pabon said, referring to the letter H in the “The” of the New York Times logo, which is made up of giant black letters affixed to the ceramic rods on the Eighth Avenue side of the building.

It was above the “T” in “The” that the climber hung a white banner with red fliers stuck to it. The banner referenced Mr. Malone’s Web site about Mr. bin Laden. Some of the red fliers were also stuck to the windows of various floors in the building as the climber went up.

Witnesses said the climber was using his cellphone repeatedly during his ascent. “He’s some kind of professional,” Mr. Pabon said. “You could see he knows what he’s doing.”

After reaching the 11th floor, Mr. Malone faced out toward the street and talked on his cellphone for several minutes. He then descended to a spot between the 9th and 10th floors. Police officers on the fifth floor had breached a floor-to-ceiling window and some were outfitted with climbing cables and hard hats. A large inflatable cushion had been placed on the sidewalk in front of the main entrance, presumably to save the man if he jumped.

The Times building was designed by the architect Renzo Piano and opened last year. Both Mr. Robert and the second climber also scaled the building using the horizontal ceramic rods that sheath the exterior — and are one of the building’s most distinctive features. The rods are intended to allow sunlight while keeping out heat, helping the building use energy more efficiently.

There is a long history of attention-grabbing stunts at New York skyscrapers. The French stunt artist Philippe Petit walked along a high wire strung between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974, a feat that is the subject of a documentary, “Man on Wire.” In 1977, the mountain climber George H. Willig scaled the south tower of the trade center.

In 2006, another stuntman, Jeb Corliss, was arrested after trying to jump off the observation deck of the Empire State Building.

Prosecuting the stuntmen has sometimes proved difficult.

In the most recent cases, Mr. Robert, who climbed the Times building on June 5, faced misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, trespassing and graffiti. But on June 12 a grand jury decided to dismiss those charges, though it did allow Manhattan prosecutors to proceed with two counts of disorderly conduct against Mr. Robert. Lawyers for Mr. Clarke, who faced the same charges as Mr. Robert, said they hoped that he, too, would face only disorderly conduct charges.

On June 26, City Council members introduced a bill that would explicitly make it illegal to scale or jump from a building 25 feet or taller.
Councilman Peter F. Vallone Jr., a Queens Democrat and former prosecutor who sponsored the bill, said in a statement:
We need to deter more copy cats, otherwise New York will become a Disneyland for daredevils. Soon anyone selling their book or ginsu knives will be scaling buildings and unfurling signs. We may not deter all jumpers and climbers, but they should be aware that their next stunt could take place on the inside of a jail cell.
Both The Times and the police expressed dismay at the latest stunt.
“We don’t think these antics should be romanticized in any way,” Mr. Browne, the police spokesman, said, adding, “The individuals should be held accountable, prosecuted for it.”

Ms. Mathis, the spokeswoman for The Times, said: “This is a very serious matter. The climber’s irresponsible and dangerous action jeopardized his safety and the safety of others.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

[Jasonik]

...The Times was looking to remove about 9 feet of the ceramic rods from the bottom of the curtain-like screen...

Plan B. (http://www.botachtactical.com/tagrho.html)

[ZippyTheChimp]

Plan C (http://www.health-safety-signs.uk.com/productimages/caution-high-voltage.gif)

[The Benniest]

If people weren't stupid enough to climb buildings in the first place, the Times Building wouldn't have this problem at all. :) We wouldn't have to remove ~ 9 ft. of the bars off the ground, use high voltage (;)), or anything.

[NYC4Life]

My job is just around the corner from the Times on 40th, and there is virtually no visible security. I spotted just 2 "security guards" working a tower that extends for a whole block on all sides.

[scumonkey]

I was hopping for the electrification of the rods but alas...
they already started removing them- I don't think this will stop 'em if they really wanna climb:rolleyes:

[NYC4Life]

It won't deter those looking for a thrill and certainly alot of attention, but it will at least make it more difficult to climb. I observed the rods from street level and looks faily easy for anyone daring enough to climb.

[BrooklynLove]

The climbing will stop once the media stops giving it so much attention. This guy's attempt was pathetic and his cause tired yet he still gets plenty of coverage.

[stache]

Slow news day.

[lofter1]

Ripping Renzo's Rods From The Times Tower Facade

CURBED (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/07/10/ripping_renzos_rods_from_the_times_tower_facade.ph p#reader_comments)
July 10, 2008

http://curbed.com/uploads/2008_07_NYTDeRod1.JPG
Workmen pulling the rods from the north face of the NY Times Tower.

Deconstructionism is taking on a whole new meaning over at the
New York Times Tower on Eighth Avenue where an entire nest of
socially conscious spidermen (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/06/05/spiderman_2.php) went to work de-rodding part of the
building yesterday. Shortly after Spidey Number 3 (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/07/09/spiderman_iii.php) was taken into
custody for scaling Renzo Piano's ladder-like facade early Wednesday
morning a crew was put to work dismantling the lower-lying rods above
West 41st Street. Previous attempts to apply a pest repellent (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/06/06/times_tower_installs_spider_repellent.php) at the
Times Tower clearly have not been successful. The gang in charge at the
Old Gray Lady have high hopes that fewer rods will thwart the web of
climbers and other attention grabbers, but had previously said it wouldn't
alter the Piano facade. The Vice Chair of the Times Company said "We’re
going to sort this out within the design sensibility of the building."
We'll have to wait to see what news is fit to print on this one.

· After 3rd Climber, Times Alters Its Building's Facade (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/nyregion/10climb.html?ref=nyregion) [NYT]
· Times Tower Installs Spider Repellent (http://curbed.com/archives/2008/06/06/times_tower_installs_spider_repellent.php) [Curbed]

http://curbed.com/uploads/2008_07_NYTDeRod2.JPG
Prying free one of the ceramic rods.

http://curbed.com/uploads/2008_07_NYTDeRod3.JPG
A full body-height of rods will be coming down.

http://curbed.com/uploads/2008_07_NYTDeRod4.JPG
Previously the rods extended all the way down to the awnings.

http://curbed.com/uploads/2008_07_NYTDeRod5.JPG
Renzo Piano's clean edges will now be ragged and tattered.

nyt

[NYatKNIGHT]

Why not just coat the bottom rods with a slippery substance. That'll learn 'em.

[lofter1]

Yeah ^

Some sort of mechanism up top that drizzles oil all down the facade and keeps those rods "slippery when wet" ...

[ZippyTheChimp]

How about making the lower rods freewheeling - like a rolling pin.

[The Benniest]

^^ That'd be funny to watch. :D

[TREPYE]

http://www.nydailynews.com/img/2008/07/10/gal_bramhall_07_10.jpg (javascript:LoadGallery(nextImage, false))

(Daily news)

[ZippyTheChimp]

^^ That'd be funny to watch. :DThey could install cameras, run features in the newspaper, maybe air footage on that silly show, MXC (http://www.tv.com/most-extreme-elimination-challenge/show/19800/summary.html?tag=tabs;summary)

[lofter1]

Renzo Relents ...

Architect Supports Changes to Times Tower

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/07/11/nyregion/11times_650.jpg
Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times
The New York Times Building’s facade is being modified to deter people from climbing the tower.

NY TIMES (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/nyregion/11building.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin)
By SEWELL CHAN
July 11, 2008

The architect Renzo Piano said on Thursday that he supported plans by officials of The New York Times to alter the facade of the newspaper’s year-old tower, which he designed, to prevent people from scaling the veil of ceramic rods that sheathe the tower, as three men have done in the past five weeks.

Mr. Piano, who designed the 52-story tower in Midtown Manhattan, said he was “totally in agreement” about the need for the adjustments, which include removing the rods closest to the base of the building and installing permanent glass panels to hinder people from climbing onto the glass canopies around the building and then onto the rods.

The final scope of the alterations has not yet been determined, Mr. Piano said in a telephone interview from Sicily, where he was on vacation, but the changes will probably occur over the next few weeks.

On Wednesday morning, a Connecticut man, David Malone, 29, climbed about 11 stories and hung a banner from the Eighth Avenue side of the building, which faces the Port Authority Bus Terminal. He used the rods like a ladder, as two earlier climbers — a French stuntman, Alain Robert, and a Brooklyn man, Renaldo Clarke — did on June 5.

Hours after Mr. Malone’s climb, workers began to remove a few rods, but officials at The Times have declined to comment on that or on any other changes to the building.

“I’m frankly quite worried about this new fashion of going up on buildings,” Mr. Piano said in the interview. “This is what I call an inappropriate use of the building.”

Mr. Piano said of the tower: “It was built to be responsive to design after 9/11. The big challenge was to make a building that is not like a fortress, but that is transparent, and open to the city.” He added, “This problem of climbers is honestly something we didn’t think about.”

Mr. Piano said that his architectural firm, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, began meeting with Times officials immediately after the building was scaled on June 5.

In a separate phone interview, Bernard Plattner, a partner at the firm, which is based in Paris, said he had taken part in several conference calls with Michael Golden, vice chairman of The New York Times Company, and David A. Thurm, a senior vice president of The Times.

“We have to give a very strong sign to the police that there is something effectively happening to prevent fanatics from climbing the building,” Mr. Plattner said.

The main idea under discussion — shortening the veil of r