The crane removal is expected to last several weeks

The new Beekman Tower topped out at 76 stories late last year, and its curtain wall is now up to the 48th floor. Now developer Forest City Ratner has begun removing the tower crane -- a process that will take several weeks, through the end of March. Already the tallest building in Lower Manhattan, the tower was designed by Frank Gehry and features an undulating aluminum façade on three of its four sides (the fourth side was made flat to contain costs). It will house residential units, offices for New York Downtown Hospital, and a K-through-8th grade school on its lower stories. It is slated for completion in 2012.