NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — There's a battle brewing to shorten the stay of one of the most recognizable adornments to New York City buildings — scaffolding.
When asked about the most iconic image of New York some may say the Statue of Liberty or the Manhattan skyline, but WCBS 880's Mike Sugerman's vote for the one image that defines the city is scaffolding.
While it may not be on top of mind, it's always within eyesight with almost a million feet of it up across the city on 3,000 structures.
Scaffolding, or sidewalk sheds as they are also called, are ubiquitous because in 1980 the city passed Local Law 11 a year after a woman was killed by a falling brick.
The law forces owners of buildings over six stories to check for loose masonry every five years.
The scaffolding goes up, and sometimes it doesn't come down.
“A sidewalk shed goes up, and it stays up, and you celebrate a bat mitzvah, you celebrate a bar mitzvah, some of it's going to be old enough to vote soon," said City Councilmember Ben Kallos.
Like a scaffolding located at 409 Edgecombe Avenue in Harlem. It celebrates a birthday this month — 15 years — making it the oldest scaffolding in the city.
"These sidewalk sheds, they aren't saving lives anymore," said Kallos, who is working to make it harder to keep scaffolding up so long.
But the real estate industry is fighting, arguing why put it up and take it down when it's got to go up again in five years.
The owners of 409 Edgecombe Avenue didn’t return phone calls, e-mail or texts for comment.
“There’s only so many resources we have," said Bijou Matthew, who lives in the building.
He said the idea was to take it down several years ago but lightning struck, literally, and then 13 additional permits were granted over the years.
“I think the building management is doing the best it can," Matthew said.
He’s hoping the metal wrapping can come down before its 16th birthday.