Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
The contractor of the building, Pizzarotti, sued the tower's developer on March 22 after a subcontractor discovered the building was askew. Pizzarotti alleges that the developer allowed for the tower to be built on a shoddy foundation. The developer, Fortis Property Group, says Pizzarotti filed the suit to distract from its inability to complete the project.
Advertisement
Fortis also says there's no safety issue and that the "misalignment" can actually be fixed.
I went to go look at the 670-foot tower - here's what it looked like.
A 58-story skyscraper in Manhattan is reportedly leaning three inches to the north. The tower, which sits in lower Manhattan along the East River, is known as One Seaport or 161 Maiden Lane.
The contractor is suing the developer, saying the developer allowed the tower to be built on a shoddy foundation. But the developer, Fortis Property Group, says Pizzarotti filed the lawsuit to draw attention away from its inability to finish the project.
To get a better view, I headed over to a pier jutting out into the East River. A spokesperson for the developer told Business Insider that two engineering firms assessed the building and found no safety issue with the tilt. And in fact, the leaning is "a misalignment issue" that, the spokesperson said, can actually be fixed with a "slight redesign of the building's curtain wall, which is already being installed."
So, the tilt will apparently not be an issue for much longer. But this isn't the first time the unfinished One Seaport has been at the heart of a scandal.
In September 2017, a 36-year-old construction worker fell to his death and construction was delayed after the city's Department of Buildings found "numerous immediately hazardous conditions" on the site. The building's previous contractor pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
I thought a wider view from the East River ferry might make the three-inch tilt at One Seaport visible to my eye, but I still couldn't see it. I thought a wider view from the East River ferry might make the three-inch tilt at One Seaport visible to my eye, but I still couldn't see it. While the building does stand out from the ones surrounding it, it’s primarily because of its height — not because of the angle at which it stands.
