Capitol to be crane-free by end of week

ALBANY -- The 274-foot-tall crane that's been in place on the northeast side of the state Capitol since January 2009 will be taken down by the end of the week, the end of major construction and repair work on the building's roof and upper reaches.

It will be the first time in 12 years that the Capitol won't be shadowed by a towering crane.

"The Albany skyline is going to seem a little strange without it, but the new view of the Capitol is going to be stunning," said Commissioner RoAnn Destito of the state Office of General Services, who joined members of the construction crew Monday afternoon before the first 10-foot section of the crane's vertical mast was lowered to the ground.

The crane will be deconstructed with help from a "climber" unit that can move down the mast like a steel bracelet as sections are removed and slid out to the horizontal jib. An additional mobile crane will help disassemble the lower parts of the larger crane, including the jib -- the projecting arm of the crane -- and its counterweights.

General Services spokeswoman Heather Groll said the next step would involve demolition of the crane's foundation, a 32-by-32-by-5-foot concrete slab that will take the better part of a month to break up and remove.

Destito noted that the crane is coming down more than a year ahead of the initial schedule, resulting in estimated savings of $2.3 million.

In addition to long-deferred repairs to the roof, the project has also seen the installation of an eye-popping skylight atop the northeastern Assembly staircase, and the construction of a suite of offices in a previously closed-off section of the fifth floor.