Man Tries to Climb New York Times Building A 31-year-old man who appeared to be psychologically unstable attempted to climb the outside of The New York Times Building on Saturday morning, the police said. The authorities received a 911 call at about 7 a.m. reporting that a man was climbing the outside of the 52-story skyscraper at 620 Eighth Avenue. The man, whom the police did not identify, had reached the fifth floor by the time they arrived. "He had climbed to the fifth floor and was unable to get down," a police spokeswoman said. The authorities then helped the man down, she said, and took him into custody before transporting him to Bellevue Hospital Center for a psychiatric evaluation. He was not arrested or charged with a crime. In 2008, three men were arrested after climbing the building, which was designed by the famed Italian architect Renzo Piano and whose exterior is covered by a series of horizontal rods. After those arrests, the facade of the building was modified in an attempt to deter climbers.