These 2 UWS Sidewalk Sheds Are Among The Oldest In Manhattan: BP

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — These two Upper West Side building covered in scaffolding might look like the typical, ubiquitous blight.

But according to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, these two sheds are actually award winners due to their enduring presence.

They're part of eight sheds that Levine and his office are giving awards to due to their old-age, according to a new list.

It's part of Levine's efforts to "Shed the Shed"and tackle the nearly 400 miles of scaffolding by highlighting just how old some of these sheds are — a number sometimes tricky to nail down.

“Across the city, there are examples of sidewalk sheds and scaffolding that have been up for years on end, a reflection of regulatory requirements that have not kept up with the times and building facades that are not being repaired quickly," said Levine after he first announced he was taking dead aim at the scaffolding nightmare in July.

The oldest scaffolding can be found at a building on First Avenue owned by the city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and has been up for 14 years — or, as Levine points out, since former President Obama's inauguration.

Two buildings on the Upper West Side made the list at numbers five and six. Read on for a closer look at each shed.

571 West End Ave.

At 571 West End Ave., the sidewalk shed was first raised over a decade ago — which makes it older than the Second Avenue Subway, Levine said.

City records show that a permit was first issued to repair an unsafe façade in September 2013. Subsequent letters sent to the city's Buildings department show that financial difficulties delayed the work, and that by 2018, only 40 percent of the work was done, with the remaining repairs estimated to wrap up by January 2020.

According to a letter dated March 21, 2022 requesting another renewal of the shed permit. The letter stated that the building "remained unsafe" and that only 55 percent of the work had been completed — due to "additional time needed to obtain all necessary permits and coordinating with building ownership to begin work," the letter reads — and gives a new estimated completion date of March 2023.

Only five percent more of the facade work was completed between 2022 and 2023, the next renewal letter reads.

The most recent renewal letter from April contains no update on the percentage of work completed but contains verbatim language from the 2022 letter, blaming permits and coordination for delays, and sets a new completion date of April, 2024.

In 2022, the property was fined $6,250 for failing to submit an inspection report on the condition of the façade.

2139 Broadway

Dubbed as "older than the Freedom Tower" by Levine's office, 2139 Broadway is a landmarked condo building which first got a permit for 522 linear feet of "heavy duty sidewalk shed" in June, 2014.

The reason for the shed is not entirely clear, according to records connected to the address, but the project at least includes many interior improvements and the addition of a penthouse on the roof, plus the structural framing of the penthouse floor and an extension of the elevator shaftway, according to a 2023 letter.

A year later, the building's engineer requested a 24-month extension to the shed permit to finish the work, stating that about five percent of the work had been completed.

In 2016, a new renewal letter asked for another 18 months to finish the work, 25 percent of which had been finished, the letter said.

By 2020, 50 percent of the work had been completed, another letter stated, and only 12 more months were needed, it read.

The next renewal letter a year later from a new states that actually, only 30 percent of the work had been completed. The letter blames the "complexity of performing the work within an occupied building and a general contractor default."

14 more months, the letter reads, is all that's needed.

In 2023, another request for another 16 month extension said that 60 percent of the work was completed, giving the project a new completion date of August, 2024.