ref
7th March 2008, 10:06 AM
Don't you dare to forget me just because I'm small! I may not be famous, nobody mentions me when they talk about 9/11, but I do still exist! You had all the nice comments about my neighbor 90 West Street (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=108006). I may be small and squeezed between 90 West St. and the former Bankers Trust buildings. I may not be an architectural landmark. But I have a story to tell as well.
You know, I too write here because conspiracy theorist don't even know I had fires, let alone that I exist. But let me tell you something, I was hit and I was hit bad.
I was completed in 1931, designed by architects Renwick, Aspinwall & Guard. You can see my 12 floor, 165ft tall figure in this photo.
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/1363947d169da427ad.jpg
Up until 9/11 I had 135 000 square feet of office space and employed 485 people. Then disaster struck.
When the south tower fell, falling debris and column sections caused destruction. Parts of my northeast corner collapsed under the debris. A column section from WTC 2 penetrated the 10th floor roof slab. The projectile impacts also lit fires, which occurred primarily above the 9th floor. Fire damage was evident on the 11th and 12th floors in the northwest corner. Several concrete columns were cracked, possibly from the impact. Several bays at the northeast corner were severely damaged from debris impact.
Concrete samples from two fire locations indicated that my concrete structure may have experienced fire temperatures of between 315 °C (600 °F) and 590 °C (1,100 °F). Spalling of capitals was observed in the fire areas.
But I stood strong. I am a reinforced concrete structure with setbacks at the 10th, 11th, and 12th floors and I also have masonry infill walls. Luckily all the people managed to evacuate before I was struck, and nobody perished here.
But I lost all my tenants. And they also gave me this cover that I have worn ever since September 2001, take a look.
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/1363947d1715b96300.jpg
Things have not been going too well for a long time. But things are getting better. A decontamination process began in 2007. The EPA is carefully monitoring every step to insure safety. Under the plan, my every surface will be cleaned and inspected from the top down using a four-floor "buffer zone" between the clean floors and deconstruction areas. The deconstruction will strip me to my concrete superstructure, and undamaged concrete elements will be reused for my redevelopment.
But after all this I will be newly born. And have 7 more floors! It will be 19 floors soon including a penthouse floor, folks! Not so small anymore, ha? After that I will host a new hotel with retail and restaurants. I can't wait for that. I'll be back.
So you know what, when people tell you no other buildings besides those belonging to the WTC complex had fires, remember me. Also remember my decorated neighbor 90 West Street. We struggled. But we survived. Life goes on. Can't wait for those additional floors!
http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/130_cedar_decontamination_begins_13614.aspx
http://www.epa.gov/wtc/demolish_deconstruct/130_cedar.htm
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=130cedarstreet-newyorkcity-ny-usa
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/fema403_ch7.pdf
You know, I too write here because conspiracy theorist don't even know I had fires, let alone that I exist. But let me tell you something, I was hit and I was hit bad.
I was completed in 1931, designed by architects Renwick, Aspinwall & Guard. You can see my 12 floor, 165ft tall figure in this photo.
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/1363947d169da427ad.jpg
Up until 9/11 I had 135 000 square feet of office space and employed 485 people. Then disaster struck.
When the south tower fell, falling debris and column sections caused destruction. Parts of my northeast corner collapsed under the debris. A column section from WTC 2 penetrated the 10th floor roof slab. The projectile impacts also lit fires, which occurred primarily above the 9th floor. Fire damage was evident on the 11th and 12th floors in the northwest corner. Several concrete columns were cracked, possibly from the impact. Several bays at the northeast corner were severely damaged from debris impact.
Concrete samples from two fire locations indicated that my concrete structure may have experienced fire temperatures of between 315 °C (600 °F) and 590 °C (1,100 °F). Spalling of capitals was observed in the fire areas.
But I stood strong. I am a reinforced concrete structure with setbacks at the 10th, 11th, and 12th floors and I also have masonry infill walls. Luckily all the people managed to evacuate before I was struck, and nobody perished here.
But I lost all my tenants. And they also gave me this cover that I have worn ever since September 2001, take a look.
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/1363947d1715b96300.jpg
Things have not been going too well for a long time. But things are getting better. A decontamination process began in 2007. The EPA is carefully monitoring every step to insure safety. Under the plan, my every surface will be cleaned and inspected from the top down using a four-floor "buffer zone" between the clean floors and deconstruction areas. The deconstruction will strip me to my concrete superstructure, and undamaged concrete elements will be reused for my redevelopment.
But after all this I will be newly born. And have 7 more floors! It will be 19 floors soon including a penthouse floor, folks! Not so small anymore, ha? After that I will host a new hotel with retail and restaurants. I can't wait for that. I'll be back.
So you know what, when people tell you no other buildings besides those belonging to the WTC complex had fires, remember me. Also remember my decorated neighbor 90 West Street. We struggled. But we survived. Life goes on. Can't wait for those additional floors!
http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/130_cedar_decontamination_begins_13614.aspx
http://www.epa.gov/wtc/demolish_deconstruct/130_cedar.htm
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=130cedarstreet-newyorkcity-ny-usa
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/fema403_ch7.pdf