From left: dentist Barry Musikant, the One57 crane

Two dentists affected by the One57 crane collapse appear to be the first business owners to take their beef with the builders to court.

Barry Musikant and Caroline Stern, who each operate a dental practice on the same block as the under-construction luxury tower, filed a proposed class action in Manhattan federal court on Friday, the New York Daily News reported. The dentists are seeking to represent more than 100 business owners and residents impacted by the incident, and to recover at least $5 million – the minimum amount of damages necessary to file a class action. [more]

Blu’s Vince Rocco and the 15 Central Park West spread

Hot on the heels of real estate author Michael Gross’ assertion that Extell Development’s One57 will never live up to the success of Zeckendorf Development’s much-beloved limestone towers at 15 Central Park West, a luxe rental at the latter has come on the market asking $59,000 per month.

The four-bedroom unit came on the market on Saturday, Streeteasy.com shows. Listed by Blu Realty’s Vince Rocco, Shane Shimon and Denise Rosner, it is available for a minimum of one year. The property is currently the most expensive rental unit available at the building. [more]

The crane at One57

It appears that the boom of the One57 crane – an enduring image of last week’s storm – was alarmingly close to plummeting 1,000 feet to street level. Building engineer Michael Alacha estimated it had an 80 percent chance of falling, the New York Times reported, in a play-by-play account of what transpired at the site during the storm.

“In my mind, the boom was going to go,” said Alacha, who was on the scene at One57 shortly after the collapse. “We still had another 6 to 10 hours of severe wind,” he added. “It was rocking. Usually, metal gets fatigued and it would let go.” [more]

From left: Gary Barnett, a rendering of One57 and the secured crane at One57

The saga of  One57′s disabled crane is coming to a close. The crane has been successfully secured and the surrounding buildings reopened. Workers spent the weekend using a a hand crank to rotate the cab and crane platform closer to the building. Once it was close enough, construction workers used steel cables and beams to tie the 150-foot boom to the building’s concrete columns. It may take days, or even weeks, for the giant boom to be lowered to the ground. [more]

The crane at One57

The city now has a plan to retrieve the dangling crane at One57, the Wall Street Journal reported. Work is expected to begin tomorrow — and will take an estimated 36 hours, according to the New York Observer’s Twitter feed.

To get the machinery down, a worker will reportedly rotate the whole crane using a hand crank, which will turn the boom toward the building, according to the Journal. Cables will then secure the boom to steel arms that have been installed near the top of the tower. Then a derrick will be installed to lower the damaged machinery down to street level. [more]

Mayor Bloomberg and the collapsed crane at One57

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today that he expects individuals could return to their homes and offices near One57 this weekend. The block of West 57th Street was cleared following the collapse of a crane at the luxury tower on Monday, and city and private engineers are working to fully secure and, eventually, dismantle the suspended crane.

If the weather cooperates, the city expects to tie down the crane this weekend, “dramatically” reducing the size of the area that has been evacuated, Mayor Bloomberg said. However, it could take weeks to build another crane, and the mayor warned that some “sporadic closings” could take place as crews take down pieces of the One57 crane, he said. [more]

From left: Gary Barnett, a rendering of One57 and the collapsed crane at One57

[Updated 1:21pm, with comment from Extell] Among the many depictions of Hurricane Sandy, the image of the One57 crane, bent backwards like a wilted stalk, is among the most indelible. In the aftermath of the collapse, construction engineers and city officials are working to fully secure the crane. Meanwhile, questions about what caused the incident and what it will mean for the high-profile Extell project and its developer, Gary Barnett, are largely unanswered.

At press time, the crane continued to dangle 74 stories above West 57th Street, which had been evacuated between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Steam, electricity and gas in the surrounding area were shut off, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday. [more]

The crane that collapsed at One57 was not tied down, Donald Trump is alleging. Trump told CNBC that he could see the crane from his window and it was moving violently in the wind before it collapsed. Trump is not involved with the One57 project.

“I know lots about cranes and lots about building, and I am looking at that crane right now,” Trump said. “I have a window that’s just about even with that crane and I was watching it yesterday, and they didn’t tie it down.” See the video after the jump

The crane at One57

The broken crane at Extell Development’s One57 development, dangling about 1,000 feet above West 57th Street, is likely to remain an enduring image of Hurricane Sandy, which has left the East Coast battered. But the more immediate concern is getting the crane down from its perch — atop the under-construction luxury condominium that the New York Times billed as a “billionaires club.”

During an 11 a.m. press conference, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the New York City Department of Buildings has determined that the crane is currently stable. He said the there would be no attempt to secure the crane until winds die down, and that it would be up to the contracting company to figure out how to get another crane 90 stories above street level. [more]

From left: Michael Hirtenstein (credit: Hamptons Magazine ) and a rendering of One57

Gary Barnett has returned New York property investor Michael Hirtenstein’s One57 contract and deposit, after Hirtenstein admitted to bribing a construction worker to film the view from what would have been his future apartment, according to the New York Post. Barnett has been strict about not letting his buyers view their apartments before completion. After Hirtenstein complained to Extell that his view of Central Park was obscured by Essex House, Barnett returned his contract and deposit.

Barnett claims that he rejected Hirtenstein on principle, and that it had nothing to do with Hirtenstein paying a construction worker $200 to secretly film the unit, according to the Post. [more]