In October of 1976, the construction of a 59-story midtown Manhattan skyscraper was completed. This $175 million project, originally called Citicorp Center (now Citigroup Center), was considered an architectural marvel for its unique design, which used four massive stilts to lift the tower over an existing structure. But a design flaw that went unnoticed for several years held catastrophic potential. While designing the building, lead architect Hugh Stubbins and lead structural engineer William LeMessurier were faced with the challenge of accommodating a church located in the corner of the proposed…
