Only three days after it was ceremonially lit for the season, an arsonist set fire to the 50-ft.-tall “All-American Christmas Tree” that sat outside the Fox News building in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 8. Work promptly got underway to replace the destroyed tree, and Durante Rentals, New Rochelle, N.Y., played a key role in the holiday spirit-restoring project.
The fire broke out at 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Durante Rentals was notified of the equipment needed to set up a replacement tree by 9:27 a.m. Just before noon, the Durante team had three booms — a Genie Z60, Z62 and Z80 — at the site. With that, the rebuilding was underway.
Just 36 hours after the destructive act, the new tree was up and a relighting ceremony was held on Thursday, Dec. 9, in the presence of crowds and carolers.
Like the original, the new tree stands 50 ft. tall. It is adorned with 100,000 lights, 10,000 ornaments and was erected in a build time of 21 hours.
“In our business, we expect the unexpected,” says Kent Fritzel, vice president of creative and project management, American Christmas LLC, whose organization was the customer on the project. “The team at Durante always has our back and goes above and beyond to help us deliver excellence to our discerning clients. With only a few hours’ notice, the Durante team dispatched equipment for us to remove a damaged 50-ft. tree at Fox News Building and re-install a new tree — a full turnaround of 36 hours in total. This wouldn’t be possible without the support of Durante.”
Anthony Durante, Durante Rentals executive chairman, says that projects like this are right in his company’s wheelhouse, and that they were ready and willing to help.
“Our business was born and flourished amidst the chaos of New York City,” Durante says. “We welcome the most challenging of calls, especially those that play a historic role in shaping our city. While this wasn’t a building project, it is an unforgettable moment that will ring in memory for years to come. We are proud of our team, thankful for our clients and steadfast in preservation of the holiday spirit.”