By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams and City Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo on Friday took down the Big Apple’s longest-standing sidewalk shed at 409 Edgecombe Ave. in Manhattan—a City landmark—which had been up for 21 years.
The safe removal of the shed comes after the City filed a criminal court case against the building’s property managers for their repeated failure to repair the building. Through the “Get Sheds Down” plan, Adams noted that his administration has expedited the removal of sidewalk construction sheds and scaffolding while reimagining the future of pedestrian protection in Gotham.
Since Adams launched the “Get Sheds Down” plan in July 2023, there are over 500 fewer actively permitted sidewalk sheds in the city—sheds that had covered nearly 11 miles of NYC sidewalks. Additionally, since the plan was announced, the city has removed 75 long-standing sheds (sheds that have been up for over five years) from the streets.
For decades, the rules governing construction sheds have incentivized property owners to leave them up for long periods of time instead of completing the critical façade work that is often the reason that the shed is required.
Earlier this year, DOB released technical guidance to help the industry understand revised rules and processes. DOB also issued a Request for Proposal to design firms looking for less obtrusive pedestrian protection, and is currently reviewing proposals received. Additionally, new rules went into effect allowing for art on sidewalk sheds and other temporary construction equipment.
The Adams administration is currently working with the City Council on legislation to allow for a wider variety of colors, improve oversight over shed construction and maintenance, and enhance enforcement strategies. In the coming months, the City plans to file more criminal court cases against property owners who have failed to make repairs to their buildings and kept sidewalk sheds in place for years.
In the 20th century, 409 Edgecombe Ave. was an important site for Black political organizing, serving as a home to the NAACP and its executive secretaries, Walter White and Roy Wilkins, as well as W.E.B. DuBois and Thurgood Marshall. The shed was first erected in 2002 because of a local law requiring regular façade inspections for buildings over six stories. An engineer hired at the time by the owners found unsafe conditions around the brick and terra-cotta stone façade. For approximately 20 years, the property owner failed to make repairs, instead allowing the sidewalk shed to remain in place without work on the building progressing. In 2019, the City filed criminal charges against the building’s management company to compel them to move forward with the long-delayed repairs. The repair work began in earnest after charges were filed and were recently completed.
“Today marks an historic victory in Mayor Adams’ ‘Get Sheds Down’ campaign, a transformative initiative to beautify our streets,” Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven) said. “After 21 years, the sidewalk shed at 409 Edgecombe Ave. is finally coming down, allowing us to admire the classic Neo-Georgian style of this stunning pre-war building. So far, we have removed 500 sheds totaling 11 miles in length through the proactive campaign to expedite removals under ‘Get Sheds Down.’ This translates to more sunlight and increased foot traffic to street-level businesses. It also means fewer spots for bad apples to congregate. ‘Get Sheds Down’ is reclaiming our streets from the nearly 10,000 sidewalk sheds hiding the charm of our city.”
