The sleek, sexy curves of Toronto’s 205-metre L Tower have been marred since its early days by an ugly crane that was awkwardly perched on its top.

Now the crane has finally been removed.

And replaced by — well, another crane.

Technically, the new piece of machinery is called a building maintenance unit, or BMU for short. It will be used for window washing and exterior repairs.

And although the swap may appear to have merely traded one eyesore for another, the removal of the first crane signals the beginning of a new era for the condo tower — its windows can be washed for the first time.

“The reason the crane was up there for so long is because the BMU had to be made in Europe,” said Mark Allen, a realtor and L Tower resident, in a phone interview.

“It’s a crane that will position the window washing utility and, because of the shape of the building, it took so long to have one engineered and specially made.”

The L Tower — which was once unfavourably compared to a “boot” — has glimmered bright and blue over the downtown area from the corner of Yonge St. and the Esplanade for a few years now, but its journey to completion remained blemished by the ugly crane on its top.

Could one piece of rust-coloured machinery really cause so much trouble?

In this case, yes.

The building was supposed to be completed in mid-2015, but safety concerns about the crane prompted one operator to walk off the job, saying it could “fall down the side of the building.”

According to the union of crane operators in Ontario at the time, it was a “monstrosity” akin to “an incomplete Lego set put together by an eight-year-old.”

And when it should have been the time for ribbon-cutting ceremonies, the Ministry of Labour delivered a stop-work order, calling for engineering reports that could prove that the crane was safe.

The deadline for that proof was July 2015. And it was never provided. Instead, the ministry was told that other methods and equipment were being looked into, and the crane would not be used.

So there it sat.

Allen bought his unit in the L Tower about three years ago. “They were saying it was going to come down then,” he said. “And I thought, yeah, OK. Sure.”

It couldn’t be taken away, not even by high winds or thunderstorms. It sat still and serene as drama raged inside the building below it during a 2017 flood so intense that staircases turned to rivers.

Despite the crane, the Daniel Libeskind-designed building placed eighth on a list of 2017’s best new skyscrapers from real estate data company Emporis, which evidently viewed it as more of a beauty spot.

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“He does a lot of deconstructivism, so there are odd circumstances,” Allen said of Libeskind.

And besides, “how are you going to clean windows on his buildings?”

Despite anticipation more than a year ago that the crane was “finally ready to come down,” it did not end its long vigil until this week.

It’s final act was to bring the BMU to the top of the tower. Then, after the two of them sat side by side for a couple of months, the crane was finally dismantled and the BMU lowered its broken body to the ground.

Now the BMU overlooks the city alone, ready to start its work.

The new crane, said University of Toronto architecture professor David Lieberman, is a “really interesting piece of design” that should add to the safety of window washers and other workers and signals that the architects are interested in not only designing the building, but the system by which to maintain it.

“I do think it’s important that we’re a little more imaginative and innovative in the buildings that we construct for the future of the city,” Lieberman said. “We should build for long-term futures.”

Sam Crignano, president of L Tower developer Cityzen Development Group, did not immediately return requests for comment from the Star. Daniel Libeskind and the property management at the L Tower were not available for comment.

To the casual passerby, it will seem like nothing has changed — after all, a crane is still poised atop the tower.

But something has changed. Even though it did nothing except infuriate crane operators, Ministry of Labour staff and anyone hoping to get a clean Instagram photo of the tower, it was a part of our skyline for years.

So long, small derrick. We salute you.

Jack Hauen is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @jackhauen

Alexandra Jones is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @AlexandraMaeJ