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Gramercy Park asbestos steam explosion

1980s in Manhattan1989 disasters in the United States1989 in New York CityAugust 1989 events in the United StatesConsolidated Edison
Disasters in New York CityExplosions in 1989Gramercy ParkIndustrial fires and explosions in the United States
Gramercy Park Steam Explosion
Gramercy Park Steam Explosion

On August 19, 1989, a large steam explosion in front of a residential building generated a large asbestos-containing steam cloud in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Two people – a Con Ed worker and a 3rd floor resident – died instantly and 24 were injured. A third person, another Con Ed worker, died the following day. Two hundred residents were displaced for months while cleanup crews worked to remove asbestos-containing mud from building facades. All apartments were remediated by asbestos workers and tested for airborne asbestos. Workers from Con Ed, the major utility company in the area, were repairing a high pressure steam pipe in front of the building when a 30-inch (76 cm) connecting sleeve burst, releasing hot steam and debris upwards. Laboratory testing afterwards determined that the insulating material contained asbestos, which subsequently led to a large-scale evacuation and cleanup. The release from the explosion, in front of 32 Gramercy Park at the corner of 20th Street and Third Avenue, continued for several hours with debris reaching 18 stories. The pipe was covered with asbestos magnesia block insulation which was pulverized and dispersed with the rising steam cloud. Con Ed initially failed to report that the debris contained asbestos, but after 4 days announced that the 200 pounds of insulation did contain the cancer-causing material. Five years later, when indicted on the same issue, the company pleaded guilty to conspiracy and environmental law violations in Federal District Court in Manhattan for withholding that information. The final remediation and cleanup cost totaled approximately $90 million, making this one of the most expensive asbestos cleanup projects in history.

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Gramercy Park asbestos steam explosion
Gramercy Park South, New York Manhattan

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N 40.7369796 ° E -73.9851118 °
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Gramercy Park South 31
10003 New York, Manhattan
New York, United States
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Gramercy Park Steam Explosion
Gramercy Park Steam Explosion
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Scheffel Hall
Scheffel Hall

Scheffel Hall at 190 Third Avenue in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was built in 1894–1895, and designed by Henry Adams Weber and Hubert Drosser, at a time when the area south of it was known as Kleindeutschland ("Little Germany") due to the large number of German immigrants who lived nearby. The building, which served as a beer hall and restaurant, was modeled after an early 17th-century building in Heidelberg Castle, the "Friedrichsbau", and was named after Joseph Viktor von Scheffel, a German poet and novelist. It later became known as Allaire's, a name still inscribed on the building. The building's style has been described as "German-American eclectic Renaissance Revival".Later, in the late 1920s, the building was used by the German-American Athletic Club. By 1939 it became the German-American Rathskeller, and then Joe King's Rathskeller. O. Henry used Scheffel Hall as the setting for "The Halberdier of the Little Rheinschloss" and wrote some of his stories there. Beginning in the 1970s, it was the home of Fat Tuesday's, a well-known jazz club, and the restaurant Tuesday's, which lasted until the early 21st century. It is currently a yoga and pilates studio. Update: as of late August 2020 the building is for rent. Sal Anthony, who had his movement studio here, has died. This is a glorious example of 19th century architecture. Scheffel Hall was designated a New York City landmark in 1997.

The Players (New York City)
The Players (New York City)

The Players (often inaccurately called The Players Club) is a private social club founded in New York City by the noted 19th-century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth. In 1888, Booth purchased an 1847 mansion at 16 Gramercy Park, reserved an upper floor for his residence, and turned the rest into a clubhouse. The building's interior and part of its exterior were designed by architect Stanford White; its entryway gaslights are among the few remaining examples in New York City. It is reportedly the oldest club in its original clubhouse and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1962.The Players serves as a social club but is also a repository of American and British theatre history, memorabilia, and theatrical artifacts. It has been reported to have the largest private collection of stage memorabilia, including costumes and weaponry, and owns portraits of its members, most notably a portrait of actor Joseph Jefferson painted by John Singer Sargent. A portrait of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, hangs in Edwin Booth's suite, along with the letter Edwin wrote to the public apologizing for the actions of his brother.Today, the club still holds "Pipe Nights" honoring theatrical notables, and maintains a kitchen and wine cellar and a billiard table in its usually busy Grill Room. In the Dining Room, filled with portraits of theatre and film notables and rare playbills from the 19th and 20th centuries, a small stage has been built where members and people of the theatre can be honored; staged readings can take place and new works tried out. The Players also gives the prestigious "Edwin Booth Life Achievement Award" to actors who have had a long, important body of theatre and film work. Past recipients include Helen Hayes, José Ferrer, Garson Kanin, Christopher Plummer, Jason Robards, Jack Lemmon, and Marian Seldes. In June 2007, Angela Lansbury was the recipient, and Edward Albee received it on September 30, 2007.