Construction on West 93rd Street?

Scaffolding shields walkers from falling debris It's a bird; it's a plane; it's a falling brick. A West Side Spirit reader alerted us to possible new construction due to the erection of scaffolding outside of a New York City Housing Authority building at 201 W. 93rd Street at Amsterdam Avenue.

Investigation of the site revealed the scaffolding has been put up to protect passersby from falling bricks from the façade of the NYCHA De Hostos Towers apartment complex.

"All the bricks are falling off the building," one resident said while walking his dog under the protective structure. "It's about time they did something about it."

The 22-story Eugenio Maria de Hostos Apartment complex contains 219 apartments and houses roughly 478 residents, according to NYCHA. The three quarter-acre site has been home to the complex since its completion in 1969.

In addition to the apartment building, the site houses the "I Have a Dream" Foundation DeHostos-Wise Program. This after-school program currently serves 40 students from eighth through tenth-grade and their families, greatly increasing the foot traffic in and out of the building.

Questions posed to NYCHA regarding how long the scaffolding will remain over the sidewalk of 93rd Street were addressed in a prepared statement: "The New York City Housing Authority is currently working on the scope of work and schedule for repairs. The sidewalk shed will remain in place until the repairs are complete."