Good morning. It’s Tuesday. We’ll find out about sidewalk sheds — scaffolding for construction sites — that were designed to look good as well as keep pedestrians safe. And, in the what’s-in-a-name department, we’ll see why “Jalen” or “Brunson” may turn up on a lot of birth certificates this year.
Two sidewalk sheds went up outside a building near City Hall last week. The Department of Buildings says they were not installed because the facade needs repairs, and it should know. Its own offices are in the building. The two structures don’t look like the sidewalk-crowding sheds that are almost as much a part of the New York streetscape as buildings and bridges. These take up less space and were designed to let in more light and air. They look different, too. They are not the standard hunter green. One is sky blue. The other is a sunny yellow. They’re not made of wood, either. One has a translucent roof that the Buildings Department says is made of ballistic-grade material, so if bricks or concrete fall from above, it will stop them. The designers shot steel bars from a pressurized cannon as a test. The Buildings Department says the sheds represent “a major improvement for the pedestrian experience,” with more room, light and visibility, “while still protecting public safety.” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement, “New Yorkers are tired of sidewalk sheds that darken our streets and take up precious public space.” Sidewalk sheds are the eyesores that New York lives with. There are just over 7,600 across the city, about 1,600 fewer than when Mayor Eric Adams started a “Get Sheds Down” campaign in 2023. By far the most, about 44 percent, are in Manhattan. For temporary structures, they are surprisingly long-lived. The average shed has been in place for a year and a half, according to the Buildings Department, and at least 80 are at least five years old. Many were installed because of a city law that requires buildings over six stories tall to be inspected at least once every five years. Sheds go up if unsafe conditions are found. They remain until repairs are completed. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re broke or a billionaire, we all use the sidewalk,” said Kevin Erickson, a principal with KNE Studio, the design architect for the shed project. “It’s the most important form of public space in the city. But if you add up all the sheds on the sidewalk, they could fill almost half of Central Park. For something that takes up that much public space, something so prominent, to get the least design consideration is terrible.” The green sheds date to 1974, when the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals approved one. Other contractors soon copied the “B.S.A. shed.” Colors were allowed until 2013, when the city decreed that sheds had to be hunter green. Last year the city expanded the permissible palette to include white, metallic gray or any color that matches the building. The city held a competition for a more pleasing design in 2010, when Michael Bloomberg was mayor. The winner was Urban Umbrella, which has been making its slender white structures with umbrella-like arches ever since. Then, in 2024, the city hired two architecture and design firms — Arup and Practice for Architecture and Urbanism — under a $3.5 million contract that directed each firm to come up with three better-looking alternatives. That led to computer-generated renderings of what the designs would look like. “One of the things that was important for us was to come up with something that was more vibrant, that gave a different feeling than the hunter green,” said Seth Wolfe, a principal at Arup. “It’s not necessary something against the green, but it was always the idea of having more variety and more ability for customization.” The two sheds that went up outside the Buildings Department offices, at 280 Broadway, were designed by Arup. One, called the “flex shed,” has components that can be adjusted to different heights and widths. Erickson said the idea is to “dance” around trees, stoops and garbage bins. The other, the “rigid shed,” is a heavy-duty model intended for major renovations and construction. It features columns and beams of different sizes. “It’s kind of like an Erector set,” Erickson said. The designers say it will increase the sense of openness for pedestrians passing beneath it. The Buildings Department says schematic designs are being codified through its rule-making process, which will let building owners and developers begin to use the new sheds. “Sidewalk sheds in front of hazardous building facades and construction sites serve an important public safety purpose,” the buildings commissioner, Ahmed Tigani, said. “But that doesn’t mean we have to accept the current pipe-and-plywood eyesores.” WEATHER Today will be sunny, with a high near 79. Look for partly cloudy skies tonight with a low around 63. ALTERNATE-SIDE PARKING In effect until Friday (Juneteenth). QUOTE OF THE DAY “We’ve sort of run out of adjectives to describe the scale and scope of what we’re going to do here.” — Capt. Jonathan Andrechik, the commander of Coast Guard Sector New York, on the extravaganza of tall ships and other vessels set to begin on July 3 for the nation’s 250th anniversary. The latest Metro news
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Jalen Brunson could become the new Michael Jordan of baby names. That prediction comes from Pamela Redmond, the creator and chief executive of the baby-naming website Nameberry. She and other baby-naming experts say names inspired by Knicks players are probably on the way, now that the Knicks have won the N.B.A. championship. Names like Jalen (Brunson), Joshua (Hart), Miles (McBride) and Tyler (Kolek) are already popular and rank among the top 1,000 names for boys born in the United States, according to data from the Social Security Administration. Landry (Shamet) is rising fast. Redmond expects a surge in the Knicks’ names, not only because of the team’s success, but also because the players are likable and captivated the city. She said that people have been “galvanized by the show of community, which feels like something that’s increasingly important at a time when it’s increasingly rare.” The name Jalen has been popular since the 1990s; it peaked in 2000, when Jalen Rose helped the Indiana Pacers reach the Finals (and Jalen Brunson was 4 years old). Last year, 711 babies were named Jalen, the same number that were named Chance, Redmond said. METROPOLITAN DIARY On display
Dear Diary: In 1965, as a promotion for the film “Fantastic Voyage,” Raquel Welch appeared in a Midtown store window to have her portrait painted by Salvador Dalí. I was working in Manhattan and able to scoot over for the event. A small group had gathered by the time I arrived, and I was able to stand directly in front of the window, which was empty except for a canvas on an easel. Soon, Ms. Welch entered the window in a bathrobe, then threw it off to reveal a skimpy bikini. Dalí appeared and glanced at her. He dabbed a brush in yellow paint to match her bikini. Did he carefully draw her face and body? No. He hurled the yellow paint at the canvas to create what appeared to be random splotches. There was no discernible resemblance to Ms. Welch or anything else, animate or inanimate. When he was finished, he walked off. Ms. Welch appeared to be shocked when she saw her “portrait.” She stood there until her “Fantastic Voyage” co-star, Stephen Boyd, walked into the window, helped her on with her robe and led her away. — Allan Yashin Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Tell us your New York story here and read more Metropolitan Diary here.
Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. — J.B. Davaughnia Wilson and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@nytimes.com. |
