skeleton

Walking along 1st Avenue in the 50s awhile ago, I noticed a building that was apparently being taken down. But I've never seen them raze a building quite the way they're doing it to this one at 51st Street.

The building is being taken apart from the inside out, rendering the buildings to the west, including Citicorp, visible through its skull-like windows.

This reminds me of the cover of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. (That LP cover indeeed features a building on St. Marks Place in the East Village)

Or is it coming down at all?

Some Forgotten Fans said they just may be leaving the exterior standing and replacing the guts.

And they were right.

A new luxury condominium is rising behind the old facade. A decision was made to keep the aged facade while constucting a new building within it.

E me at erpietri@earthlink.net