Derelict Building on Southern End of Governors Island to be Imploded to Make Way for New Park
May 29, 2013 3:38 pm
VERYEARLY on the morning of June 9th we will be imploding the largest non-historic building on Governors Island to make way for new public park spaces under construction. We’ll be streaming it live, and it will also be visible from points in and around the Harbor, including the Battery in Manhattan, the Staten Island Ferry, and Jersey City and Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Check out this slideshow of Building 877 and the future park spaces: [gallery type=“slideshow” ids=“6830,6827,6829,6828”] Building 877 is located on the Island’s southern end. It is a 115 foot, 11-story brick building and was built in 1968. The building, also called the Cunningham Apartments, housed 165 duplex apartments for members of the Coast Guard and their families. Vacant since 1996, Building 877 is not landmarked and is located well outside the National Historic District on the northern half of the Island. This obsolete building does not comply with local or state building codes, was constructed with unacceptable levels of out-of-date materials and is therefore not fit for any future re-use. To prepare for the implosion, Building 877 was abated and all hazardous materials were removed. As you can see from the slideshow, its brick façade was taken down. And in further preparation for the implosion, the remaining structure be shrouded with black geo-textile fabric to ensure debris remains in a secured, cordoned area. Using more than 200 pounds of dynamite, the implosion will take approximately 30 seconds. As part of the Bloomberg Administration’s investment in the Island’s future, The Trust has been upgrading infrastructure, constructing new park spaces and demolishing obsolete buildings. The debris from Building 877 and the other buildings demolished is reused and recycled on the Island as fill in the creation of new park topography.