I know that the metal braces on the building next to 108 Chambers aren’t art—despite being reminiscent of “The Wall” by Forrest Myers in Soho—but the pattern is mesmerizing. How do they work? —T.

Once you start noticing the braces, you see them everywhere—such as on Park Place and Leonard…. I reached out to Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers, based on Reade, to ask whether someone there might explain. Happily, Tom Baker, AIA, Technical Director, was game: “The photos represent lateral anchors that have been installed to hold the historic unreinforced masonry walls in place. Typically, contractors attached metal rods to the wood floor joists in the historic structure and then sleeve the rods through the masonry walls where they are attached to pieces of metal to anchor them. This is a modern version of the ‘stars’ one often sees on many historic buildings.” Such as the ones below on W. Broadway, Staple, and Washington; Baker sent the third image, which shows how the part we can’t see on a building, but I’m not sure where it came from. Speaking of the stars, you can buy them here, in case you want some for decoration.

Got a question? Email tribecacitizen@gmail.com.

Previous Nosy Neighbor posts:
• Is Franklin Place really a private street?
• Where are the World Trade Center soldiers based?
• What’s Butler?
• What are these new blue parking signs?
• What’s this thing embedded in the sidewalk?
• Where can I buy photos of old Tribeca?
• Is Distilled now a café during the day?
• Wasn’t the World Trade Center Greenmarket supposed to be open by now?
• What’s the YogaSmoga townhouse on Greenwich?
• Why are these people gathering on Broadway?
• What are those things at Warren and Church?
• Who were those people marching?
• Why does 3 World Trade Center have tailpipes?
• What’s that thing on 60 Hudson’s roof?
• Why is this statue behind a fence?
• Why does 1 World Trade Center look so unfinished at night?
• Why do Brookfield Place’s escalators run that way?
• What is Stadium Goods?
• Why is the Duane Park flag almost always at half-staff?
• What is Maison di Prima?
• Where can I get breakfast in Tribeca?
• Who are the Goatsingers?
• Why was this cornice removed?
• What’s coming to the Cosmopolitan Hotel’s storefronts?
• What’s this two-year subway construction project?
• What are those doodads on 60 Vestry?
• What’s up with the exposed wall at 111 Murray?
• What’s inside the base of 7 World Trade Center?
• What’s the Supermarket?
• What’s happening at 172 Duane?
• What’s that new building next to 30 Park Place?
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