For years, Brooklyn Tech has been encased in 200,000 square feet of mesh and poles, an unmistakable sight of scaffolding rising nine stories and spanning an entire city block. Emblematic of the building’s notorious disrepair, this unattractive facade has been the butt of countless jokes throughout the school community. Every year, rumors of the scaffolding coming down circulate, often to no avail.
Yet, upon students’ return to the building after Winter Break, scaffolding on Tech’s north side had been removed, raising hopes that Brooklyn Tech might finally defy its “Broken Tech” nickname.
Tech has been covered by at least one layer of scaffolding since 2008, which Principal Newman stated “will never be removed.” This base layer, stretching from street level to just below the first floor windows, was put up due to bulging bricks that hang off the side of the building and have yet to be repaired. Repointing, which fills cracks or spaces between the bricks with new mortar, is needed to fix this problem.
Without this work, the bricks pose a risk of falling to the sidewalk and injuring people.
Under New York’s Labor Law 240, contractors are required to erect scaffolding to protect workers and civilians from any falling debris. With thousands of students walking around the building every day, it is undeniably important to prevent needless injuries and thus it appears unlikely that this first layer will ever come down.
What will be removed, however, are the upper levels of scaffolding covering Tech’s facade that have been up since the 2014-2015 school year when work began on completion of masonry work on the aging roof and the rebuilding of the parapet. According to Gothamist, this makes it older than 98% of scaffolding in the city.
Although roof repairs are not yet complete, the plan was to fully remove the scaffolding by the end of winter break, yet, as of early January, only small portions had come down on the north and east sides of the building. This progress, though modest, was a revelation to the Tech community.
In a poll conducted in a senior AP Comparative Government class at the beginning of this school year, all 34 students predicted that there was only a 10% or less chance that the scaffolding would be down by the end of the school year. Recent alumna, Stella Ortega (‘24), was amazed to find out the scaffolding, which had concealed the building her entire tenure at Tech, was coming down.
“I’d say it feels a little surreal,” she said. “Now going back to visit teachers I wouldn’t recognize the building I spent four years of my life inside.”
Ortega also admitted to feeling a bit of jealousy about the project reaching completion after her graduation.
“I kind of just wish I got to see my school for what it is, rather than walking into a construction project every day.”
Aside from aesthetics and noise complaints from neighbors, there have also been instances of wildlife getting caught in the scaffolding.
“I’ve seen pigeons, squirrels, and most recently a hawk caught in the scaffolding,” said Industrial Design major Seneca Walter-Hawkins (‘25). “It was sad, the hawk was frantically trying to get out of the netting.”
The school called the Fire Department who attempted to free the bird by cutting holes in the netting, but they were unsuccessful. It is presumed that the bird flew out later that night as it was not seen the next day.
As the scaffolding comes down from the upper floors, lessening threats to wildlife, it seems that at least one layer will remain a Tech staple, ensuring safety for years to come.
