Blogger Bird to the North dropped by Frank Gehry's IAC Building in West Chelsea last week, snapped the above photo, and filed the following report: "On the way in, my architect colleague pointed out the gap between the building base and the walls, and then proceeded to stick his entire foot into the gap. Whoops."
Back in 2003, when IAC trumpeted the architectural marvel that was to be, a press release issued by the company included the following passage: "Three things came together that made the decision for us. The first was being able to work with Frank Gehry, the second was finding a unique location, and the third was finding a trusted building partner in The Georgetown Company." Delightful!
Er, about that last one? Someone get rewrite. Why? Let's just say that it's one of the more widely known secrets in Manhattan real estate these days that the construction quality of the IAC Headquarters leaves, shall we say, something to be desired? (Let it be noted that there were hints along the way.) Whether additional construction work will be required to fill this gap—among many others in the building—remains to be seen, but in the meantime, you can bet that IAC head honcho Barry Diller isn't quite as chummy with his builders as he once claimed to be.
· Diller Scofidio at IAC Building [Bird to the North]
· IAC Interactive Corp. Headquarters to Take Shape [IAC]
· Gehry in Chelsea: Still Flipped Out [Curbed]