350‐Foot Crane Makes Its Debut on Broadway

A crane with a 350‐foot boom and a cab the size of a small house took up desidence in 44th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues yesterday for the two‐day task of hoisting an 88,000‐pound air‐conditioning cooling tower onto the 13th‐floor roof of The New York Times Building.

Passers‐by gawked from the sidewalks and office workers gaped from windows as the huge skeletal crane rose majestically toward lead‐gray skies from the theaterlined street off Times Square. The street is to be closed to traffic until this evening. Knots of people gathered throughout the day to ask questions and render judgments. Joe Polito, who was in charge of the crew from Gem Rigging Specialists of Brooklyn, said, “We're getting lots of advice from sidewalk superintendents.”

The street‐closing had a minimal effect on theatergoers. There were no performances last night of “Sly Fox” at the Broadhurst Theater and “The Wiz” at the Majestic Theater, both on 44th Street. Those with tickets to “A Chorus Line” at the Shubert had to walk only half a block from one of the avenues.