Over two years after a fatal fire halted the demolition of the former Deutsche Bank building, the skyscraper could begin coming down on Nov. 2.
The city Buildings Dept. issued a demolition permit for the 26-story building on Tuesday. In an e-mailed update, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., owner of the building, said contractor Bovis Lend Lease was mobilizing equipment and “is expected to begin” demolition on Nov. 2.
The L.M.D.C. previously said the building would take six months to come down but more recently officials said they could not put an estimate on the timeline.
“It’s terrific news,” said Catherine McVay Hughes, vice chairperson of Community Board 1. “We hope at long last the building will come down without any more incidents or delays.”
On Aug. 18, 2007, the contaminated Deutsche Bank building across from the World Trade Center site was being simultaneously cleaned and demolished when a worker’s discarded cigarette sparked a blaze that killed two firefighters. The L.M.D.C. finished decontaminating the building earlier this year, clearing the way for demolition to begin soon.
