The Great Miscalculation

The Race to Save New York City's Citicorp Tower

By: Michael M. Greenburg

Narrated by: Mitch Crawford

The Citicorp Center, a fifty-nine-story skyscraper built in 1977, immediately became one of the most recognizable features on the New York City skyline with its distinctive inclined roof and oddly placed support columns. Designed by one of the top structural engineers in the field, William LeMessurier, the tower would become the crown jewel of his professional career; In essence, he created a skyscraper on stilts. The building was a modern marvel—until it was revealed that it had a one in sixteen chance of collapse.

The Great Miscalculation tells the riveting story of LeMessurier's discovery of a fatal flaw in his building's design and his decision to blow the whistle on himself, putting his reputation on the line in a race to save this iconic skyscraper. With hurricane season rapidly approaching, the structural design flaws of the Citicorp Tower posed a menacing danger. Meanwhile, the economic hardships and political turmoil of 1970s New York only compounded the obstacles to a massively expensive, never-before-seen structural redesign in the heart of downtown Manhattan.

A fascinating piece of overlooked New York City history, The Great Miscalculation tells the gripping narrative of a catastrophe averted in the nick of time.

©2025 New York University (P)2025 Tantor Media

Oops

Fascinating study of the architect who built the Citicorp building and the nearly fatal mistake he made. Having worked in the building I found this fascinating, but I'm not at all sure you will. Would have made for great long-form journalism, but as a book it is a bit overwritten.

Disjointed and disappointed

This story had potential but was very disjointed and wandered everywhere. The narrator’s attempts at dramatic statements was irritating. I pushed through it only because I needed something to listen to