8 Spruce Street - Beekman Tower - by Frank Gehry

**Sherpa** · October 21st, 2009, 12:17 AM

Originally Posted by BrooklynRider

I want to be more excited about that cladding, but I've walked by it a number of times over the last week. I've seen it from different angles. Thus far, it isn't a "wow!" factor. It's interesting up close - even masterful. From afar, it is no big deal. Seriously. I hope the remaining cladding of the tower sees greater emphasis on the waves.

This size on this thing does completely blow me away. Much biggerthan I imgined. It reminds me of Trump Chicago as it was going up. I wish we had THAT tower in NY.

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**BrooklynRider** · October 21st, 2009, 12:25 AM

Jeez. How telling is it that you posted a picture of "The Future".

Man, looking at that ruined by night.

**BrooklynLove** · October 21st, 2009, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by Sherpa

yep, so that confirms they have added no new cladding for 6 or 7 days

This is not meant to be directed at Sherpa alone. The comment is for all.

Please no conspiracy theories of Ratner cutting off the skin going forward at this point now and moving to brick ...

The much-ado about cutting off height was based on conjecture and proved to be completely baseless so let's not repeat the paranoia.

**RoldanTTLB** · October 21st, 2009, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by BrooklynLove

This is not meant to be directed at Sherpa alone. The comment is for all.

Please no conspiracy theories of Ratner cutting off the skin going forward at this point now and moving to brick ...

The much-ado about cutting off height was based on conjecture and proved to be completely baseless so let's not repeat the paranoia.

It does seem premature, considering the brackets for the current skin continue some 20 stories above where they are at skinning the building right now. Based on watching them construct the cladding up until now, I think they are building a temporary set of rigs to hang the stuff over the mechanical floors. Because they are walled off, the workers cannot just stand on the inside and put the pieces up. Here's some photographic evidence for all of this:

Brackets:

Temporary Rigs:

Since this post can't stay visible forever, though, be ready to repeat this ad infinitum for weeks.

**HoveringCheesecake** · October 21st, 2009, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by BrooklynLove

This is not meant to be directed at Sherpa alone. The comment is for all.

Please no conspiracy theories of Ratner cutting off the skin going forward at this point now and moving to brick ...

The much-ado about cutting off height was based on conjecture and proved to be completely baseless so let's not repeat the paranoia.

That isn't what I meant at all. I meant he ordered x quantity of the cladding, ran out, and then needed to order more. If the height cut was a baseless rumor, then I guess I'm wrong. It was stuck at the same height for some time, though, regardless of whether or not Ratner was seriously considering it or using it as a bargaining tool.

**DKNY617** · October 21st, 2009, 10:17 PM

**londonlawyer** · October 21st, 2009, 10:22 PM

These are amazing photos of an utterly amazing building!

**Sherpa** · October 21st, 2009, 11:40 PM

Where do you put the couch?

**treebeard** · October 22nd, 2009, 12:33 AM

I have a theory on the cladding. as it was going, new cladding was arriving every day and just barely ahead of the installation.

I'm guessing they want to do the next three floors pretty much at once. They're ( have? ) putting in a special dolly thing to lift the panels into place and install them. so I think it's 3 floors up at a time around the building.

that being the case, they need to have the next three floors on hand before they can start, hence the wait. when they finally do start installing again,it will be pretty obvious if my guess is right or wrong.

**Sherpa** · October 22nd, 2009, 03:57 PM

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**Sherpa** · October 22nd, 2009, 06:33 PM

Scroll down to the post from "Onn" at pg 62:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...404222&page=62

**infoshare** · October 22nd, 2009, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by Sherpa

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...404222&page=62

Yes, fantastic photos: thanks for the link.

**Sherpa** · October 22nd, 2009, 09:21 PM

The following information was last updated on October 21, 2009.

Superstructure erection is underway, now at 73 stories.
Curtain wall installation continues and should be completed by winter 2009/2010. The brick facade on the lower stories is complete.
The contract RFP for finishing work on the building's school was issued in late May 2009.
Building will top out in December 2009
Full sidewalk closures on Spruce and Beekman Streets beside the work site
Extended work hours Monday through Saturdays 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

**DarrylStrawberry** · October 22nd, 2009, 09:21 PM

10.22.09

**Derek2k3** · October 22nd, 2009, 10:01 PM

I hope this building does phenomenally well and shows that good architecture pays off. Then maybe Ratner could start planning his next Gehry tower. Maybe in Midtown West this time.