c/o Riverside Park Conservancy
The Riverside Park Conservancy sent out an email this week announcing the temporary closure of the 106th Street Franz Sigel staircase. The entire staircase was closed as of Thursday, October 10 for reconstruction. Work is expected to be complete by January.
“Note that during this time, the M5 bus line will bypass the stop at 106th St and Riverside Drive,” the Conservancy states.
Structural issues were discovered in August of last year after an SUV skidded onto the staircase. The Conservancy lucked out with a grant from a private donor “who agreed to fund the extensive repairs right away, bypassing bureaucratic delays.”
Earlier this year, they hired an “engineering firm to excavate and assess the staircase foundation while protecting nearby tree roots.”
The monument at the top of the staircase–a “bronze equestrian sculpture of military officer, educator, journalist, and public servant Franz Sigel”–was originally built in 1902.
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“skidded onto the staircase”? No, that’s incompetent/negligent driving.
Remember the driver of the SUV had to cross a significant sidewalk.
There’s no “significant sidewalk” there–it’s straight onto the equestrian plaza from the blacktop when going west on 106th
Man, this guy, Sigel was a real loser! Have you read his Wiki? Failed at pretty much everything. They need to rename the staircase and replace the statue while they’re at it!
Looks like that SUV driver thought 106th street just continued straight on past the statue. Bonehead on drugs probably.
Looking for a parking spot, perhaps?