peter heath
Peter Heath

Gramercy Park


I lived and worked here until the street blew up. "Don't fix it if it ain't broke" was the City's maintenance mantra. Not very successful. Con Edison turned off the City steam pipes to fix something. By the time they turned 'em back on, water in the pipes had condensed. Hot pressurized steam rushing into the pipes created "the jackhammer effect," instantly vaporising the water. Baboom! A section of the street about 10 meters wide and 20 meters long blew about 50 meters into the air. A neighbour on the tenth floor was scalded to death. The place was covered in asbestos dust.
I was contracted to Picture Music (MTV) on 23rd, and Jenny & Co on 79th. I opened my own place on Fifth Ave., then 57th Street. Now homeless, I went sailing for 8 years.